Harry Potter and the Final War
by HPFinisher
Summary: Harry Potter has returned from Hogwarts and has wasted no time in his search for Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Against the wishes of his friends, he goes off alone. Will Harry win the fight against Voldemort? Sequel to HBP! H&G and eventually R&Hr. Ch 14 is up!
1. Draco's Punishment

**HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR**

**Summary:** This is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood prince. I wouldn't recommend reading it if you haven't finished HBP yet. Picking up right where HBP left off, Harry goes on his adventures in order to stop Voldemort and save the wizarding world.

**Rated:**MA for violence, language, and sex

**Disclaimer:** Roses are red,  
Violets are blue.  
I don't own Harry Potter,  
And neither do you.

**Chapter 1: Draco's Punishment**

-----------------------------------------

Draco ran for his life. As he looked back, he saw Snape screaming at Harry and deflecting spells that Harry was throwing at him. He continued running for the gates of Hogwarts. Once out of them he'd be free. He'd be able to Disapparate just beyond Hogwarts' boundaries. He looked back once more. Snape was next to him, covered in blood that was dripping from deep gashes on his body.

"Professor, what-"

"Shut up and Disapparate, foolish boy!" screamed Snape.

With a turn, Draco Disapparated first, leaving only a loud _pop_ as he fled the scene. Snape followed suite and Disapparated after Draco, reappearing next to Draco. They were in a dark house. Snape looked down and saw Draco kneeled over on the ground heavily panting, hanging onto the carpet on the floor.

With a tug, Snape pulled Draco up off the floor and brought him closer to his own face. There was a deep sense of terror about Draco, especially evident in his eyes. Snape glared into Draco's face. "What gave you the right to hesitate and ignore the Dark Lord's orders?" shouted Snape.

"Professor, I-"

"Didn't think! Dumbledore was about to stop you!"

Draco wrenched himself free from Snape's grab. He glared back into Snape's eyes, losing the sense of terror about him. "I was perfectly capable of killing the old ass myself, thanks!" spat Draco.

"You were about to compromise our mission, was what you were about to do!"

A dark, hooded figured emerged from the shadows slowly and walked toward Draco. "Malfoy," said a high, cold voice from underneath the hood. "What are you doing here? I believe you were supposed to report straight to me when you were finished tonight."

Draco looked up at the figure, seeing it for the first time in the house. He bowed suddenly, as did Snape. When he looked back up, the figure was removing his hood. A deformed head protruded from the hood. It had pale skin and red, piercing eyes. The nose was snake-like. Voldemort stood in front of Draco, glaring down at him.

"Master, I planned to come straight to you after I had caught my breath."

"SILENCE!" screamed the high voice. "You are lying, and you know I do not permit lying." Draco looked down at the floor in shame.

"I am sorry, my Lord," he replied.

"Did you succeed with the plans?" asked Voldemort, still with great agitation in his voice. "Is Dumbledore dead?" Draco looked at Snape, and Snape looked back at him.

"Dumbledore is dead, my Lord," stated Snape. Voldemort's gaze turned to Snape.

"Did all go as planned?" questioned Voldemort once more. At this, Draco stood up. Voldemort returned his eyes to Draco. "Well?"

"Snape killed Dumbledore, sir. He got there just as I was about to." Draco returned his eyes to the floor, trying not to stare into Voldemort's for too long. Voldemort, however, narrowed his eyes.

"You lie," hissed Voldemort. Draco's head shot up as he stared into Voldemort's face. "You weren't going to. You were going to leave me and join Dumbledore. You planned on escaping!"

Snape glared at Draco, though it went unnoticed. Draco looked pleadingly at Voldemort.

"No, master! It wasn't like that!" defended Draco. "I would never betray you!"

"Lies again!" hissed Voldemort. "I do not put up with lies!" Voldemort pulled hi wand out of his cloaks and pointed it at Draco. "Crucio!" he shouted. Draco screamed horribly in pain. He began twitching and fell to his knees as Voldemort ended the curse.

Draco clutched the carpet again, still in pain. He breathed heavily.

"I do not tolerate betrayal, Draco," said Voldemort in a loathing voice. "Crucio!" he shouted again, and Draco burst into pain again. Snape watched as Draco twitched and screamed in agony, and begun flailing himself about. Voldemort ended the curse and left Draco on the floor, moaning in agony. He turned to Snape. "And you," he said. "Malfoy was to carry out his orders _on his own_. How dare you prevent him?" Voldemort began raising his wand, pointing it, now, at Snape.

"My Lord! I detected the weakness in Draco tonight, just as you have. I saw what he planned to do! I acted only to carry out your orders, and to fulfill the Unbreakable Vow that I have with Draco's mother!" Voldemort's eyes narrowed on Snape.

"And what was in this Vow?" hissed Voldemort.

"I vowed I would attempt to protect Draco from danger during his mission, and to fulfill the mission for him if he could not," said Snape. Voldemort maintained his narrowed eyes at Snape.

"You will never enter such a Vow with anyone on my orders from now on," hissed Voldemort, his voice colder than ever. "It is not your decision as to who will follow through my orders. My plans were specific enough."

"Yes, my Lord," replied Snape as he bowed his head. Voldemort turned on his heel and Disapparated from the room. On the ground, Draco remained breathing laboriously from the pain that he remembered all too well.


	2. The Pile of Letters

**HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR**

**Summary:** This is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood prince. I wouldn't recommend reading it if you haven't finished HBP yet. Picking up right where HBP left off, Harry goes on his adventures in order to stop Voldemort and save the wizarding world. (Better Summary soon, after most are done reading HBP. )

**Rated:** M for violence, language, and sex

**Disclaimer:** Roses are red,

Violets are blue.

I don't own Harry Potter,

And neither do you.

**Chapter 2: The Pile of Letters**

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Harry blinked. He'd been staring out his window for hours now, though nothing had changed since the woman across the street had taken her trashcan out to the curb. His breath had been fogging up the window, as well, though it wasn't impairing his vision much. He had really been hoping that Dumbledore was on his way to pick Harry up from his Aunt and Uncle's house, though that hope was slowly diminishing. With a quick glance over Harry's room, it was obvious that he had sincerely wanted someone to come pick him up. His trunk had remained packed, and Hedwig was locked up in her cage. The covers on Harry's bed were neat and straight, having never been slept in.

Harry had been trying ever since the night Dumbledore died to pretend he'd only dreamt it, though it was now not even a possibility. Letters and letters had come to him from Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Lupin, Tonks, and even one or two from Mr. Weasley and some other members of the Order. Harry, however, had ignored them all. While he knew this wasn't smart to do at all, he couldn't muster the emotion to open them. Opening them would mean he'd half to admit Dumbledore was dead. He'd have to accept the fact that he was now alone in this.

_You're not alone, Harry. Even if Dumbledore is gone, you've still got Ron and Hermione and a whole pack of other people behind you_, he thought to himself. _I don't want them to get hurt though! With Dumbledore here, they would be protected. Now that Dumbledore's gone, it's more dangerous than ever._ He was having a fight with himself in his head. The lack of sleep was getting to him.

Hedwig hooted, annoyed. Harry turned and looked at her, taking his eyes away from the dark, empty street outside for the first time in hours. "What, Hedwig? You know I can't let you out. We're going with…" He trailed off. He finally gave up on Dumbledore. He looked down into his lap. "We're going to have to go away. I am, at least." He sighed, sadly. Dumbledore was gone. He was alone. _You're not alone!_ he told himself as he sighed once more. He checked his watch. The time 3:28am flashed from his electric watch.

Harry stood up. He had done it. He had been with the Dursley's for more than 2 nights, if you could really call it that. Harry recalled his short stay with his Aunt and Uncle. Right from King's Cross, Harry had told them he'd only be staying 2 nights. It was enough for him to fulfill the magic, yet short enough that he wouldn't have to put up with them. They had been slightly taken aback by the last part.

"Put up with us? What do you mean, _put up with us_?" Uncle Vernon had asked him angrily. "We've kept you in our house for 16 years and all you can do is thank us by making remarks that you _put up with us_? I don't think so boy!" Uncle Vernon would have gone on, but Aunt Petunia shushed him. He had muttered angrily to himself the entire car ride home.

Dudley had stayed away from Harry the entire stay, though Harry hadn't really gone out of his room for more than bathroom visits or the occasional necessary nourishment. Otherwise he stayed in his room, trying to ignore the wizarding world unless it was something about Dumbledore's survival, though he now accepted this as impossible.

Harry glanced around his room. He walked to the door and opened it. Harry looked down the hall and saw no lights, or signs of movement. His Aunt, Uncle, and cousin were all asleep. Shutting the door, he walked over to his desk and pulled out a bit of parchment and a quill with some ink. He scribbled an identical note on 3 different sheets of paper.

_I'm going now. I'm leaving Hedwig with Ron. I'll miss you all._

_-Harry_

He addressed one copy to Ron and Ginny, one to Hermione, and the last to Lupin (which he knew would make its way to Tonks as well). He let Hedwig out of her cage and tied the letters to her leg. "Take these to Ron, Hermione, and Lupin. Oh, and make sure you peck Ron hard until he gives it to Ginny." Harry let Hedwig out the window and watched her fly off into the sky. He turned and looked at his letters. Picking the top one up, he decided he'd read them and then set off to look for Voldemort's Horcruxes. He ripped open the top letter. It turned out to be from Hermione.

_Harry,_

_I just wanted to check in with you. I've checked with my parents and they are allowing me to go to Ron's soon. I hope to see you there. Please, Harry… Please don't do anything stupid like running off by yourself without us. You aren't alone in this Harry, and you know we can help you. Please._

_-Hermione_

Harry blinked slightly. It was as if Hermione had read his mind and sent this letter just now to prevent him from leaving. But it wasn't going to work. He didn't want her hurt any more than Ron or Ginny or any of the other people he loved. Sighing, Harry opened the next one.

_Dear Harry,_

_I was just wondering How long you thought you'd be at your house before you come to my house. We're anxiously waiting for you. Please send back when you know what time you're coming. Ginny can't wait to see you._

_-Ron_

Harry thought for a second about writing Ron another letter saying he wouldn't be coming but thought it was rather pointless. As he reached for the next letter, he also remembered that his owl was already off on a mission that she wouldn't be coming back from. Harry began to read the next letter.

_Mr. Potter,_

_I don't think that I can stress to you more how important it is that you tell me what it is you and Dumbledore were doing before his death. I believe that I can help further what you two were doing, though I must know what it was you were doing to help. Please send a letter soon._

_-Professor McGonagall_

Harry stared at this letter a bit longer than the others. Maybe he _should_ tell McGonagall that he and Dumbledore had gone after one of Voldemort's Horcruxes before his death. After all, she was a great witch, too. She had been close to Dumbledore, and may already know that he had been suspecting Horcruxes as Voldemort's plan to remain immortal. However, Harry shook his head. This was between him and Dumbledore. This was their mission. It had been their last moments together, truly as fellow wizards joined against a common evil. Harry picked up the next letter.

_Harry,_

_Oh, Harry I miss you so much. I still don't agree with your statements from a few days ago. I don't care if Voldemort sees me as your weak spot. I can deal with him; I've had to deal with him before. Harry, together we're strong than we are divided. Please… Just give it a chance. I want you to come to our house as soon as you can. I am missing you terribly._

_-Ginny_

At this last letter, Harry's heart skipped a beat. He had wanted to be with Ginny so badly. Aside from Dumbledore and Voldemort, Ginny was really the only other subject he had thought about since the last day of school. His breathing got heavier. Harry picked up another letter, trying to push Ginny from his mind. He didn't want to think about Ginny, her long red hair, her red, soft lips, her fair skin and slim body. _No!_ Harry told himself. _The more you think about her, the more Voldemort will sense weakness in you. It'll also tempt you to go back and stay with her. You need to do this… alone._

Harry dumped the rest of his letters into his trunk without reading them. He didn't think he could bear to. There was already a large amount of guilt growing inside of him. He knew that by reading more, he'd probably just stay home or go to Ron's and head back for school, however much he didn't want to.

Harry sighed as he heaved his trunk up, and out his bedroom door. He carried it down the stairs and out the door. Without bothering to leave a note to the Dursley's, Harry walked out to the street. He set his trunk down and stuck his wand arm out into the street. Suddenly, with a bang, a purple triple-decker bus had appeared out of nowhere, causing Harry to take a step back and a mailbox to jump out of the oversized bus' way. A young, scruffy-looking man stepped off the bus and looked at Harry. Stan must have still been in Azkaban.

This new man had dark brown hair, and sideburns that carried themselves all the way down his face. He had a five o'clock shadow growing, though it was past the middle of the night. His teeth were an odd, faint yellow color that looked like this new person drank a lot of coffee. He stepped forward toward Harry.

"Hullo. I'm Lance. Can I help you with your trunk?" he asked in an odd accent Harry had never heard before. Harry looked up at the new character.

"Sure. I'm going to London," Harry muttered after handing him the 11 sickles it cost to ride the Knight Bus. Harry walked up the steps and entered the familiar bus. The chandelier was still there, and the beds had, once again, reappeared for the night shift. Harry made his way to the back of the bus and sat on a bed while Lance brought up his Trunk. He really had no clue where to go from here.

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Author's Note: Hello All! I hope you enjoy this story. it's my own version of Book 7 of the Harry Potter series! I will accept all criticism, comments, or questions, just PLEASE review and let me know your thoughts! Thanks!


	3. The Hidden Clue

**HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR**

**Summary (Updated):** Harry Potter has returned from Hogwarts and has wasted no time in his search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Against the wishes of his friends, he goes off alone. Will Harry win the fight against Voldemort?

**Rated:** M for violence, language, and sex

**Disclaimer:** Roses are red,  
Violets are blue.  
I don't own Harry Potter,  
And neither do you.

_Note: There is a note from HBP in this chapter, copied word-for-word. It's all JKR's genius, not mine!_

**Chapter 3: The Hidden Clue**

-----------------------------------------

Harry sat on the bed in the back of the bus and watched as they sped through the neighborhood streets leading away from Privet Drive. BANG. Suddenly they were rolling through the countryside. They passed a farm with great speed. BANG. Suddenly they were speeding through a shabby-looking neighborhood, passing a house that looked as if it were a pile of rotten wood rather than a dwelling place.

Harry sighed, looking down at the carpeted floor of the Knight Bus. He really had no clue where to go, and absolutely no idea where to start. He slipped his hand in his pocket, clutching the locket that he'd been carrying with him ever since the night of Dumbledore's death. Harry sighed once more, pulling out the locket and looking at it. There was no 'S' on the front which indicated it was not the real locket, and had never belonged to Salazar Slytherin. Harry opened the locket and pulled out the small piece of parchment inside. Harry read the small note for the umpteenth time that day:

To the Dark Lord:

I know I will be dead long before you read this

but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret.

I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can.

I face death in the hope that when you meet your match,

You will be mortal once more.

**R.A.B**

Harry's face was screwed up in concentration. _R.A.B.? Who could R.A.B. be? _Harry thought to himself repeatedly. He couldn't think of anyone with those initials. Folding the parchment back up, he replaced it in the locket and closed it. Slipping it back into his pocket, Harry glanced up at Lance. He was holding a newspaper and was having a conversation with the driver of the Knight Bus, Ernie Prang. Harry inched closer to them, attempting to hear them.

"…it's as I always said, Ernie. With Dumbledore gone, all hell will break loose." Lance returned his gaze to the newspaper. "7 more killings…" he muttered to himself, shaking his head in shock. "Are there any rumors about what Dumbledore was doing before he was killed?" asked Lance, his gaze still on the paper.

"They say he was with Harry Potter," Ernie replied matter-of-factly. Lance looked at Ernie. The old bespectacled bus driver had said something else in a whisper that Harry couldn't hear. He could figure out what it was about though, owing to Lance's reaction. After hearing Ernie's statement, Lance's eyes shot over to Harry and widened.

"That's him?" whispered Lance a bit too loudly. "I didn't recognize him!" Lance looked at Harry again. To Harry's pleasure, however, Lance did not come over. He merely returned to his newspaper silently, glancing over his paper at Harry occasionally with mild interest. Harry looked at the front of Lance's newspaper. On it read the headline '7 MORE KILLED' in large, bold letters. Underneath it were 7 pictures of people's faces. Their faces were blank and moved only to scratch their nose or yawn in boredom.

As Lance put the paper down, Harry stood up and walked over to him. "D'you mind if I borrow that?" he asked, pointing at Lance's paper. When Lance nodded, Harry picked up the paper and made his way back to his bed. As he passed a witch who was in orange pajamas and snoring, Harry opened the periodical. Aside from the main story about the seven who were killed, there were the daily safety reminders from the Ministry of Magic, an article about a Muggle who had somehow found his way into the Leaky Cauldron, a review of the Weird Sisters' new album, and a few editorials, among other things.

Harry scanned the editorials, having never read any from the wizarding world. The _Daily Prophet_ had never included editorials. Or if they did, Harry had never read them. As he flipped through, Harry's eyes widened at the title of the third editorial column. It read:

**Dumbledore's Last Adventure**

We've all been informed of the recent death of Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, a man who contributed so greatly to the world of magic that there is no way to repay him. However, it is his death that is most unusual. Killed by Severus Snape, Dumbledore had been missing almost the whole night before he was killed. He was rumored to be away from the castle with the one and only Harry Potter.

After interviewing a number of students who witnessed some of the events of the night, it can be pieced together that Death Eaters were at Hogwarts, though how they got there remains a mystery. Once Dumbledore was killed, they fled, taking Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape with them. The teacher and student are rumored to have assisted with the attack, though their allegiance remains uncertain.

In my opinion, I think Dumbledore was getting very close to discovering something, or had already discovered something either Malfoy or Snape needed to be kept secret. Dumbledore will be sorely missed. Just recently he has been working against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and has helped proved the innocence of Sirius Black, the accused murderer who happens to be Potter's Godfather.

---

Harry read the editorial once more. It really wasn't about anything, but was merely stating obvious facts that no one could piece together to form the events that transpired that night. But something was sticking in Harry's mind. _Sirius Black… Sirius Black…_ Something about Sirius felt important, felt familiar. Harry narrowed his eyes in thought. Sirius' family was pureblood. They had many Death Eaters in their family – including his brother Regulus! _Maybe,_ Harry thought to himself, _Regulus is R.A.B.! He could be, since he was involved with Voldemort. Maybe he went and got himself killed because he stole Voldemort's Horcrux._ Harry stared blankly out the window. Harry now knew where he needed to go, but didn't know if he would be allowed to change his destination.

Standing up, he rushed to the front of the bus. "Lance," Harry said quickly. "I need to change where I'm going. I need to go to…" Harry said, trailing off. There wasn't a number twelve, Grimmauld Place to those who weren't told by Dumbledore that it was there. "I need to go to number seven, Grimmauld Place," he said, thinking this was safe enough. Lance eyed Harry suspiciously.

"Why are you changing where you're going? The Leaky Cauldron is usually one of the only stops we make in London," Lance said, still eyeing Harry.

"I just… Please. Can you take me there?" Harry asked. Lance turned skeptically to Ernie.

"Ernie. Go to Grimmauld Place. Potter is changing where he wants to go."

BANG. They were suddenly speeding down the familiar street full of grimy houses with broken windows and paint that was peeling. Harry looked around. As they passed the fifth heap of rubbish, the bus stopped hard. Harry was flung forward and hit the floor with a yelp of pain. Getting up, he saw Lance already holding his trunk. As Harry stepped off the Knight Bus, Lance followed him and set his trunk down. Looking at number seven, Grimmauld Place, Lance raised an eyebrow and asked, "Um… Do you want me to… er… carry it in?" Harry shook his head and muttered a word of thanks to lance. A minute later, he watched the Knight Bus speed out of sight as a lamppost repositioned itself to dodge the bus.

Harry looked back at his trunk and heaved it up, walking over to number eleven. Music was blaring from the house, though it was about 4 in the morning. Harry watched as number twelve pushed its way out of nothing and appeared between numbers eleven and thirteen. Harry walked up the stairs, dragging his trunk. As he reached the door, he had a sudden thought. While Sirius had given Harry the house, Harry had never received a key. Looking down at the doorknob, he remembered that a key wasn't needed, seeing as how there was no keyhole. Harry remembered Lupin taping the door with his wand two years ago. Harry pulled out his won wand and tapped the door once. Metallic clicks were heard for a second, and then stopped as it swung open. Harry walked into the house, hauling his trunk behind him. He closed the door and sighed. It was as dark as ever. As Harry took another step forward, he heard a slight hissing noise as a gas lamp turned itself on magically. The peeling wallpaper was familiar, though not welcoming. He walked over to a set of curtains that were all too familiar to him, though his memories of what was behind the moth-eaten curtain were most unpleasant. He stood in front of them for a second and sighed heavily. He reached forward nervously and clutched the velvet curtains for a second and closed his eyes. With a sharp inhale, he wrenched the curtains open, revealing a huge portrait of and old woman in a black cap. The woman's eyes were wide opened and seemed to be filled with fury as she glared back at Harry. Harry sighed softly, glad that she hadn't reacted as she had last time he was in the house. However, he had been relieved too quickly. The woman let out a blood-curdling scream.

------------------------------

A/N: Well I just wanted to thank you all like mad for reviewing. I'm really pleased that you all like it. I also want to note that I didn't mean to fall into the common view that Regulus is R.A.B., but I searched for 8 flippin' hours and only found him with the initials of R.B. so I had to stick with him. I'm 99 sure it is not a new character. Enjoy! R&R!


	4. The Hag in the Hat

**HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR**

**Summary:** Harry Potter has returned from Hogwarts and has wasted no time in his search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Against the wishes of his friends, he goes off alone. Will Harry win the fight against Voldemort?

**Rated:** M for violence, language, and sex

**Disclaimer:** Roses are red,

Violets are blue.

I don't own Harry Potter,

And neither do you.

**Chapter 4: The Hag in the Hat**

-----------------------------------------

The old woman in her black cap let out a blood-curdling scream. "You! You filthy scum! You mutant, you freak! Get away, begone from this place!" The woman shouted at Harry. She was shrieking so loudly that Harry thought the neighbors might hear, though they couldn't see the house. "Filth! Scum!" Mrs. Black continued to scream from her portrait. Harry tried pleading with the portrait.

"Please, Mrs. Black. Please… I don't want to stay here long, I just want to talk to you," he attempted to say as she screamed other insults at him.

"Talk! With the abomination of the wizarding world? NO! Certainly not! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" The old witch screamed at him. Harry was at a loss. He couldn't get her to stop screaming long enough to get half a word in. Apparently, people in pictures didn't have to worry about catching their breath. Harry thought to himself. _What can I do? She won't shut up! I just need to…_

With the last thought trailing off in his mind, Harry did the only thing he thought possible. With great speed he wrenched forward and clapped his hand over Mrs. Black's mouth. She immediately was quiet and Harry sighed, relieved.

"Mrs. Black I don't mean to-" Harry began, he never finished.

"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ME IN MY OWN HOUSE?" Mrs. Black roared. Harry stood there, eyes wide in shock, dumbfounded. It hadn't worked after all. She had only stopped screaming in shock. What could he do? He was at a loss. This portrait might be the key to finding a Horcrux – if he ever got her to be quiet, that was. _How could I have been so stupid_, Harry thought,_ to cover up a portrait? It isn't going to work, it's magic!_ Harry had hoped it would work at the time, but now thought he was merely being stupid. It had been his last hope. But maybe if he took a page out of Mrs. Black's book?

"MRS. BLACK!" Harry howled suddenly. "I AM TRYING TO ASK YOU SOMETHING NOW WILL YOU SHUT _UP_?" Mrs. Black had stopped shouting. She blinked her eyes, which had grown to about twice their size, quickly. Harry's face was slightly flushed, though he was somewhat happier his reply to Mrs. Black had worked.

"Mrs. Black, I just want to ask you about Regulus," Harry stated plainly. Mrs. Black began huffing herself up again.

"No! Absolutely not! I am not your encyclopedia and … GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Mrs. Black screamed. Harry's temper rose. Any second now, if Mrs. Black didn't cooperate, Harry might lose his cool and do something he might regret. He closed his eyes trying to calm himself. Opening his eyes, Harry stared Mrs. Black down angrily.

"NO! It is _not_ your house, it is _my_ house and I will do whatever I _damn_ well please in my house!" Harry shouted back at the portrait. "Now as I was saying," Harry began angrily, though quieter than before, "I am trying to find out about Regulus." Mrs. Black remained quiet for a while, and looked as though she were having a battle take place within her. While she didn't want to have to answer to Harry, she certainly couldn't risk it, seeing as Harry was now the owner of the house and her portrait.

"Regulus," Mrs. Black finally answered solemnly, "was my son. My pride and joy." It seemed that as she continued, her voice grew more and more boastful. "_He_ defended the Black name. Regulus joined Voldemort and lived up to his true destiny. Not like that _filth _who dared live here before." Mrs. Black's voice grew nasty as she talked about Sirius, though never mentioning his name. Harry raised an eyebrow at Mrs. Black.

"Didn't Regulus back out from Voldemort? Didn't he try to get away from Voldem-"

"STOP SAYING THE DARK LORD'S NAME! _You_ are certainly not fit to utter his name with such disrespect!" Mrs. Black said, cutting Harry off. Harry glowered at her.

"I will say whoever's name I want! Now… Did your son ever steal anything from Voldem-"

"My son would _never_ steal anything from the Dark Lord!" rebelled Mrs. Black. She was highly affronted that Harry would even suggest anyone in her family would attempt something she considered so wrong. Harry stared down at his feet in annoyance. He wasn't getting anything out of Mrs. Black. Though, now that he looked back on it, Harry wondered why he'd ever think that Mrs. Black would tell him anything. No one who so supported the Dark Arts would admit to their son defying their Lord. Harry sighed and turned away from Mrs. Black as she resumed her shouting at him. He'd reached a dead end on the first clue he had, which wasn't the type of motivation Harry needed at all. Without even bothering to close Mrs. Black's portrait, Harry walked back over to his trunk and heaved it up. He walked out the door and opened it.

As he stepped out it closed behind him and he continued to walk out to the curb. The neighbors next door were still blaring their music. They must not have heard Mrs. Black screaming at the top of her lungs. As Harry carried his trunk out to the curb, he thought to himself. _Well that was completely useless. I've got no clue what to do now…_

When he reached the curb, Harry called the Knight Bus to him once more, resolving that he'd sleep for a little while and would continue in the morning. As the doors to the purple double-decker bus opened, something flung itself out at him and screamed, "HARRY!"

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A/N: GUESS WHAT ALL! I'm way sorry this chapter took so long to get up, but I took a break for 2 reasons. First, I got a co-writer! I'm very excited, and her nae is Nora, and we're good friends. Yup! Second, Nora and I wrote out an outline and have the ENTIRE story figured out. I think you can hold me to my word when I say you should all have a chapter every 3 days or so. Wel I hope you enjoy! R&R!


	5. The Fun on the Third Floor

**HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR**

**Summary:** Harry Potter has returned from Hogwarts and has wasted no time in his search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Against the wishes of his friends, he goes off alone. Will Harry win the fight against Voldemort?

**Rated:** M for violence, language, and sex

**Disclaimer:** Roses are red,

Violets are blue.

I don't own Harry Potter,

And neither do you.

**Chapter 5: The Fun on the Third Floor**

-----------------------------------------

Harry's eyes shot open in shock as an excited blur threw itself at Harry. After being knocked on the floor, Harry looked up as a girl laid on top of him, smiling. "Harry!" she screamed happily. "We thought we'd _never_ find you!" As Harry blinked, he realized his glasses had been knocked off his face during the fall. He felt the weight of the person on top of him pull itself off of Harry and held out an arm. Harry took his glasses and placed them on his face, blinking.

Slowly, a girl with brown, bushy hair came into focus. She was about 6 inches shorter than Harry and was beaming at him eerily. Behind her, still on the bus, were two red-headed teenagers, one male and the other female. Harry recognized these people as his best friends Hermione, Ron, and his ex-girlfriend Ginny. His face drooped slightly as he realized who they were.

"What are you all doing here?" Harry said in a shocked sort of voice. Ron stepped off the bus and picked up Harry's trunk.

"Coming after you, of course. You didn't think we'd let you go off all alone did you? We're not that stupid…" Ron replied with a smile. He carried Harry's trunk onto the bus and set it next to some beds that had slightly-ruffled sheets covering them. Harry assumed Hermione, Ron, and Ginny had bee sitting on these.

"But… I told you not to come after me," Harry stated, following his friends onto the bus. Hermione smirked at Harry.

"No you didn't…"

"Well I meant to! Obviously I hadn't intended you to come after me, or I would've told you where to find me!" Harry sat down on his bed. "I mean… I even left Hedwig with Ron! What about that!" Ron smiled at Harry and pulled up a birdcage from behind a bed into the air.

"I've got Hedwig right here, Harry, relax."

Harry looked around dumbfounded. Lance was still up at the front of the bus with Ernie. He hadn't asked Harry for fare, so Harry assumed his friends must have already paid for him. As he glanced back at the beds, the witch in the orange pajamas was still lying in bed, though she looked awake and slightly paler than Harry had last seen her. Harry then recalled seeing several witches and wizards on the bus looking pale. The ride wasn't exactly something you'd call enjoyable.

BANG. The purple bus was speeding through the country once again. As Harry returned his gaze to his friends, he saw that Ron had sat on the bed to Harry's right and Hermione had sat on the bed to the right of Ron's. Harry could only assume Ginny was on Harry's left. Harry sighed and looked down at his feet. Hermione picked up on Harry's emotions.

"Oh Harry will you _please_ listen to us? We know you wanted to do this on your own, we understand. But think about it! Going off on your own is no way to go about this! What you need is help, friends – people to back you up and assist you in things that you don't have experience in either." Hermione stared at Harry meaningfully. Harry looked back up at her and sighed.

"I don't want any of you hurt! You are the things that mean most to me in this world, and I _know_ Voldemort would go after you all! Plus, it's dangerous even if Voldemort _doesn't_ go after you."

"Harry, we don't care," replied Ron. "We're just as ready to take that risk as you are." Harry looked at Hermione. She was nodding. He turned around to look at Ginny. She was staring at the floor. He turned back to Hermione and Ron.

"I guess…" he trailed off, looking at his shoes. "I just don't know what I'd do without you all…"

"Harry, the more help you have, there are better chances of nothing going wrong," stated Hermione. Harry had to agree with her. He _could_ use the help. He didn't have any idea what to do or where to go.

As he pondered this in his head, Harry felt a gentle tap on his left shoulder. Turning around to see who it was, Harry saw Ginny's deep, brown eyes looking back.

"Um, Harry. D'you… Do you mind if I could talk to you for a second?" Ginny said quietly. Harry turned back to Hermione and Ron. While Ron looked confused, Hermione was nodding quickly as if to say 'Go and talk NOW!' Harry turned back to Ginny.

"Sure."

Ginny turned and began walking towards the very back of the bus. Harry got off his bed and followed her. He could have sworn he heard Hermione say, "She gets straight to the point, that Ginny, there."

Ginny and Harry walked up the wooden stairs to the second floor silently. Upon seeing a few people on that floor, she continued up to the third floor which proved empty. She continued walking to the middle of the bus, so Harry followed.

Suddenly, Ginny stopped. She whipped around and stared deep into Harry's eyes. They couldn't be more than two feet apart. As Harry looked at Ginny, he realized her brown eyes had become very teary, though Ginny wasn't crying.

"Harry I… I've been miserable at The Burrow. I can't stop thinking about what you said about it being your fault if Voldemort used me against you."

"I meant it Ginny," Harry replied. "If Voldemort found out about us and used you to get to me, I couldn't live with myself. It would be my fault that you were dead."

"Yeah?" Ginny began heatedly. "And what about if I _didn't_ go with you? What if I knew I could go with you and had left you alone and you ended up dying? I would feel just as bad, Harry!"

"Ginny you can't feel that way! It's my _destiny_! I have to go after him, and I don't want you to die in the process! With you dead, I'd give up hope!" Harry's face was turning red. Harry noted Ginny's face was already red. Her eyes weren't as teary anymore.

"Harry you don't understand! You're being stupid! This isn't some big ordeal that you have to go through alone! YOU NEED HELP!" Ginny shouted. Their voices continued to grow, but they didn't care. Harry didn't care if all the Muggles in the world heard what was going on right now, this was important.

"NO!" Harry roared. "I CAN'T LOSE YOU!" Harry had taken a step forward. He was glaring down into Ginny's face, but he didn't know why. He was angry at her right now, so angry – but he loved her too.

"I CAN'T LOSE YOU EITHER!" Ginny shouted back.

"THEN IT'S SETTLED! YOU'RE COMING WITH ME SO I CAN PROTECT YOU!" Harry screamed back. This wasn't the original outcome Harry had wanted, but his senses were mixed fiercely at that moment.

"FINE!" Ginny yelled back. Her eyes had become wet again. Both Harry and Ginny were red-faced and panting. They were very close. Somehow during their fight they had become very close. Harry's face was very close to Ginny's. Too close, in fact.

Suddenly Harry leaned forward and kissed Ginny. His eyes were closed and so were Ginny's. Ginny flung her arms around Harry's neck as Harry put his hands on Ginny's waist. Ginny took a step into the kiss and parted her lips slowly, allowing Harry's tongue to slip through. Harry explored Ginny's mouth with his tongue excitedly, as if he had been waiting his entire life for this moment. Neither of the two had breathed in a while, but they didn't care.

BANG. The bus lurched forward as they shot from the countryside into the city. Harry and Ginny were knocked onto the floor, but they didn't break the kiss. It wasn't until the bus came to a halt to pick up yet another passenger that Ginny and Harry parted lips, panting even heavier than before. Ginny lay on top of Harry and smiled at him.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered to him.

"Me too," Harry replied, sincerely hoping they would get back to kissing soon. Ginny leaned down and began kissing Harry more passionately and controlled than before. She tickled the roof of Harry's mouth until he moaned happily. As she did so, she played with his hair. Harry placed his hands on Ginny's back and slid his hands down a bit further. Ginny responded to Harry's actions by smiling and giggling slightly into the kiss.

Harry then reached his hands up Ginny's shirt and massaged her back for a moment. He continued his hands around to her front where he cupped her breasts. Harry couldn't believe the position he was in. He went from fighting – literally shouting – with Ginny, to kissing her. And to make things even better, Harry was now feeling her up. He loved Ginny so much at times like these.

A noise coming from downstairs told Harry and Ginny their fun would be cut short. Another passenger was boarding the bus and could very well stumble upon them up on the third floor in a position that was very embarrassing, especially in public. Harry slid his hands out for Ginny's shirt and slipped his hands around her neck and legs as he stood. He cradled her for a second, and then let her down to the floor. He held her hand as they walked down the stairs to the first floor.

As they reached the first floor, they passed a wizard in green robes going up the stairs. Harry and Ginny walked over to Hermione and Ron, smiling slightly. Hermione jumped with glee at the sight of the two.

"Oh, FINALLY! I'm so glad you two made up!" She said happily.

"Oh, I think they made _out_ just fine," Ron noted grumpily, pointing out that Ginny's makeup was slightly smudged. Harry felt sort of sorry that Ron had to deal with his best friend and sister going out, but thought he would have to deal with it. If it had taken him and Ginny this long to make up, Harry didn't want them ever to fight again.

Harry sat down on his bed next to Ginny, still holding her hand. He looked out the window. BANG. Just as he had, they began speeding through the country again. Farms passed by the window occasionally as they sped down the old roads. As Harry looked back at Ginny, she rested her head on his shoulder. Ron was fumbling with his trunk for something, and Hermione had pulled out a book and was reading it.

Harry looked over into the aisle as Ernie walked by with a tray. Fumbling with his spectacles, Ernie looked down at Harry and his friends. "Would you all like some tea?" At first, Harry went to accept Ernie's offer, then realized that Ernie was the driver of the bus. Harry's eyes widened in shock, and as he looked around, Ron's, Hermione's, and Ginny's were too.

"Ernie!" Harry cried. "Who's driving the bus?"

Ernie chuckled for a second and pushed his glasses back up his nose. "The bus can drive itself, of course. It _is_ magic, you know." He continued smiling to himself as he sat down on Ron's bed and passed out small teacups to Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Lance. He took turns filling each person's cup up and then passed out sugar, lemons, and other things to put in the tea. Harry smiled gently as Ginny snuggled closer to him after taking a sip of her tea. Harry stared down at his cup and noticed that the bus wasn't shaking as much. The driving was a bit smoother and their tea wasn't even spilling over the edges. Harry questioned whether having Ernie driving was even necessary.

Harry continued to examine his teacup after taking a couple of sips. It was an unusually shaped teacup, and didn't match the others – though at second glance, Harry realized that none of the teacups matched. As he continued to look at his own teacup, Harry thought it was very odd. It had two handles on either side of it and was made of a delicate gold. As Harry turned it around to view the other side, he noticed there was a badger engraved into the side of the cup. Harry narrowed his eyes in concentration. He thought he'd seen this cup somewhere before… And then it hit him.

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A/N: Well, there it is! Nora and I had such a fun time writing this chapter at 12-2 in the morning… Lol. We sincerely hope you enjoy it and the CLIFFHANGERRR! R&R!


	6. The Explosion Above

**HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR**

**Summary:** Harry Potter has returned from Hogwarts and has wasted no time in his search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Against the wishes of his friends, he goes off alone. Will Harry win the fight against Voldemort?

**Rated:** M for violence, language, and sex

**Disclaimer:** Roses are red,  
Violets are blue.  
I don't own Harry Potter,  
And neither do you.

**Chapter 6: The Explosion Above**

-----------------------------------------

He _had_ seen this cup before, because it was Hufflepuff's cup! Harry's eyes widened in shock. Here was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, right in his hand. _But wait,_ Harry thought. _Why can I touch it? When Dumbledore touched Voldemort's ring, he go that huge burn on his arm._

Harry checked his arms and hands, looking for any signs of magical effects. His heart was racing. As he looked around at Hermione and Ron, he saw that they hadn't noticed his reaction to the cup. Quickly, Harry stood up. He dumped out the remaining contents of the cup onto the floor, carelessly. As he did so, Ernie shot up from his seat.

"Watch it!" he said loudly.

Harry proceeded to knock the cup hard against the side of the bedpost. Hermione and Ron shot up, just as Ernie had. Ginny, who had been resting her head on Harry's shoulder until he had stood up, was now looking strangely at Harry. She had been very close to falling asleep, and then had been rudely awakened.

Harry took a great stride away from the bed and turned back to Ernie and his friends. "I'll be right back" he mumbled, then started walking very quickly to the back of the bus. Hermione, Ron, and a very tired Ginny had followed suit, though Ernie had been left back screaming for Harry to return his cup, as it was his favorite.

When Harry reached the wooden staircase in the back, he whipped around to face his friends. "Don't follow me!" he snapped. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny merely inched closer to him.

"Harry…?" Ginny trailed off yawning. Hermione decided to finish her question.

"What the _hell_ are you doing, Harry?" she asked. Harry didn't have time to answer her. The Horcrux needed to be destroyed immediately. It couldn't wait. Harry merely turned back to the stairs and began running up them.

"DON'T FOLOW ME!" he shouted back at his friends. They ignored his command and followed him nonetheless. As Harry ran up the stairs, he rapped the delicate cup against any hard surface he could find. The cup, however, refused to shatter. This definitely was some sort of magic, even if it wasn't a Horcrux, though Harry was sure it was.

Harry continued to run up the stairs. Upon reaching the second floor, he whipped out his wand from his pocket. Continuing up the stairs, Harry began trying to break the Horcrux by firing spells at it. "Impedimenta!", "Stupefy!", "Diffindo!" Harry shouted. As he shouted the different spells, they would bounce off the teacup and shoot in different directions. Harry had finally reached the third floor when he remembered that the cup was gold.

"INCENDIO!" Harry screamed. A shot of fire sprouted from Harry's wand. Remembering that he was still holding the cup, Harry threw it on the ground and pointed his wand at it. Harry shook his wand slightly after a minute of steady flames and the beam of fire ceased to exist. Harry looked down on the floor at where the cup had been before. Now, a small puddle of gold bubbled in the center of a large burn mark in the carpet.

Suddenly, and without any warning, the bubbling gold erupted into large flames. Harry stared at the flames for a moment, but then felt a huge blast of hot, burning energy pass over him. He shut his eyes quickly to shield them from the light. The bubbling gold had exploded when the Horcrux magic was released. Harry assumed he was so badly burned that he couldn't feel very well anymore, because he couldn't feel what he had landed on.

As he felt the surroundings around him cool, Harry opened his eyes. As he looked up, he was staring at the night sky, which was littered with stars, the moon, and a few purple bits. _Purple bits?_ Harry asked himself, confused. As he turned his head with some difficulty, Harry noticed there were purple bits everywhere, in all different shapes and sizes. Behind him, Harry heard Ginny shriek in horror. He tried to turn around, but couldn't. His head was all he could move.

Turning his head around as much as it could go, Harry looked at Ginny out of the corner of his eye. He could barely see her, but he could definitely notice that she wasn't standing or sitting on anything. Actually, she was _falling_. Harry panicked.

"Ginny!" he called out after her. He continued to stare after her, though she didn't seem to be falling anymore. She looked as if she were hanging, suspended in midair. It was then that Harry realized he, too, was suspended in midair. And Ginny wasn't behind him, she was _under_ him. Harry's eyes widened in shock.

Those purple bits and blocks were bits of the Knight Bus! Harry turned to his left and saw Hermione was only a few feet away from him. She had her hands cupped over her eyes and her body was half-contracted into a ball.

"Hermione?" Harry said shakily. Hermione mumbled incoherently in reply. Harry turned his head in every which was possible, but couldn't find Ron.

"Ron? Ron where are you?" Harry shouted. Ginny answered instead of Ron.

"Harry, he's back here by me. He looks knocked out!" Ginny sounded scared. Harry couldn't think of anything to do. _Was this part of the Horcrux magic? Is this some kind of effect that happens when you tried to destroy it?_

As Harry turned his head around even more, he saw more of the Knight Bus passengers. The wizard in green robes was frozen in a position that looked like he was pouring himself a drink. The witch in orange pajamas remained in her reclined position in bed. Harry wasn't even sure if the blast had woken her up. Harry continued to look around and saw a bit of the wooden stairs. Though it was unfocused, Harry thought he could make someone out that seemed to still be climbing the stairs, though frozen. He also noticed some metal poles and bed sheets floating near the witch in orange.

Harry looked around the bus, sighing. Harry then noticed that the purple bits seemed to be moving slowly. Harry then looked over at Hermione. She was moving too! As Harry turned his head, he saw Ginny moving as well, though they were all still frozen and suspended in the dead, silent air. As Harry looked back up at the purple bits, they had begun moving extremely fast. Within the blink of an eye, the entire bus had been pieced back together and its passengers were back in their original positions.

Unluckily, Harry had been mid-fall when the bus froze itself, which led to his immediate collapse onto Ron. Harry rolled over and found himself on Ginny before he continued rolling until he reached the floor. When he finally did so, he rubbed his back and stood up. As he began helping Ginny up, Ernie came bursting through the opening by the stairs and looked angry.

"What the _bloody_ hell did you do, Potter!"

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A/N: Yes, I know it's short, but you've just had your first glimpse of Horcruxes and some of their power! Nora and I spent a while on this chapter, since we wanted to have the writing follow the flow of the events in the chapter. Another update will be up VERY soon, so bookmark us and check back soon! R&R!

UPDATE NOTE: This chapter originally contained some extra information that Nora managed to convince me was superfluous. Of course, the chapter had been up for almsot 10 mintues by that point. If you managed to read that info that is now cut out, please don't share it! I'll be important later! Thanks!

-Nora and Sean


	7. Horcrux Revealed

**HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR**

**Summary:** Harry Potter has returned from Hogwarts and has wasted no time in his search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Against the wishes of his friends, he goes off alone. Will Harry win the fight against Voldemort?

**Rated:** M for violence, language, and sex

**Disclaimer:** Roses are red,

Violets are blue.

I don't own Harry Potter,

And neither do you.

**Chapter 7: Horcrux Unleashed**

-----------------------------------------

Harry glanced up at Ernie, panting. He continued to help everyone up before answering to Ernie. The truth was, he was buying himself some time. _How do I explain this to him? How do I explain that the Horcrux blew up his bus!_

"Well?" Ernie said impatiently.

"Ernie I… I don't know. I just came up here because the cup was acting funny and it blew up," Harry lied. He couldn't figure out any other way to tell Ernie his favorite cup was now a puddle of gold, and that his bus had almost become fancy, unusual rocks in Muggle museums.

When seeing Harry's lie, Hermione gave an unusual sort of gasp, though it was inaudible to Ernie. Ron tried not to interject, and Ginny took her mind away from it by brushing off her skirt. Ernie was looking at Harry fixedly. Harry couldn't tell whether he was glaring at him or not. His thick glasses made it hard to read his facial expressions. After a long, awkward silence that was interrupted only by a few coughs, Ernie finally said something.

"Get off…" Ernie said, trailing off. Harry barely heard him.

"What?" he asked.

"Get off… of my bus," Ernie repeated with explanation. He was still speaking very low.

"Ernie, I'm sorry about your bus, I really am!" Harry said exasperatedly. "But… It's fixed now, isn't it?"

"Well of course it's fixed, boy. There are so many spells on this bus, I'd be surprised to find a safer place!" Ernie was now getting annoyed. "Besides Hogwarts and a few places like that, of course," he added.

"So, the bus put itself back together, did it?" Hermione said, intrigued.

"Yes, but it didn't put it back together for you to blow it up again, now get OFF!" he shouted. His was glaring fiercely at Harry. Harry looked around at his friends, out of ideas. He certainly couldn't explain to Ernie why he had done it, but Harry had _needed_ to destroy the Horcrux.

Ernie's piercing gaze went straight through Harry. He had never been so angry, at least that he could remember. That cup had been his favorite, hence why he lent it to Harry to use. It was a family heirloom, and a very valuable one at that. Harry wasn't giving him any answers, and neither were any of his friends. Ernie snapped; he had finally lost his temper completely. He pulled out his wand and waved it fiercely in the direction of Harry and his companions. Immediately they zoomed up into the air hovering. With his wand pointed over his shoulder, Ernie stormed down the stairs, the rest following him up in the air. When he reached the first floor of the triple-decker bus, Ernie flicked his wand at their bags. They joined their owners in the air.

With another angry flick, the bus doors zoomed open. Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and a number of bags flew past a scared-looking Lance and out the doors of the bus. As the bus began to speed away, Lance stuck his head out of the bus doors, which had begun closing.

"Remember that the Knight Bus is always here for you!" he shouted quickly before retreating back into the bus. BANG. The bus sped away as a lamppost jumped out of its way. Harry sighed as he got up, brushing off his jeans. He helped Ginny up as well. Ron had already got to Hermione.

Harry looked around. They were somewhere in London, of that much he was sure. Well… Almost sure.

"You guys, I… I'm so sorry about that. It's my entire fault," Harry said, looking down at his feet. He felt his face flush a hot red. He then felt a cool sensation on his left cheek. He looked up and saw Ginny looking back at him, her hand on his cheek in a comforting way.

"Harry, it's fine… But… What happened?" she asked. Harry sighed.

"That… was just something I had to do," Harry said uneasily, giving Hermione and Ron a meaningful glance. He had intentionally not gone into explanation, since he vowed to Dumbledore he'd tell no one other than Ron and Hermione. Looking at Ginny, Harry saw she was confused.

"Ginny, I'm really sorry that I can't go further into-"

"No, Harry, I know what you're talking about. I heard you tell Ron and Hermione at school about the Horcruxes. I just don't understand why it was out in the open like that. Wouldn't he want it to be protected?"

"Maybe," Hermione said, "Voldemort intentionally left one out in the open. They always say that the best hiding spot is right out in the open. Anyone who manages to find the other Horcruxes would've assumed this one would be hidden too…"

Harry stared at Ginny, still perplexed. "Wait, how the hell do you know what we're talking about?" he asked Ginny.

"That day in Charms class, when you told Hermione and Ron. I was sent to fetch Dean because Professor McGonagall needed him. Anyways…" she trailed off. Harry looked stunned. He hadn't even noticed Ginny that day in class. Harry was, however, glad that he didn't have to break his word to Dumbledore. He never actually told Ginny, she had found out on her own.

"Listen," Harry said, "I don't think we should be talking about this out here. We need to go somewhere."

"How about the Leaky Cauldron?" Ginny suggested. Harry nodded.

"Shall we Apparate?" Hermione asked. Ron's face went slightly whiter at this suggestion.

"We… We can't. Ginny doesn't have her license, let alone even know how," Ron said in a pleading sort-of voice. Ginny raised an eyebrow at Ron.

"Harry doesn't have his license either, but that's not stopping him, now is it?" she stated, smiling at Ron. She loved proving him wrong, even though it wasn't the time or the place.

"Guys… Can we just go? I'll take Ginny. It only looks like it's a bit away," Harry begged. He was feeling very spent. He held out his arm. "Hold on tight, Ginny." As she did so, Harry turned on his heel and returned to the feeling he dreaded most about Disapparating. Everything went black as Harry and Ginny were pressed hard from every direction. He couldn't breathe, and felt as if his ribs were being crushed. When it seemed like Harry could take it no more, the feeling stopped. Harry opened his eyes and saw the lobby of the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry looked around at the familiar lodge-like lobby. A few picture frames littered the walls around the front desk. Harry stepped up to it, Ginny still at his side. Behind him, he heard loud _pop_s as Ron and Hermione Apparated into the lobby, carrying their trunks. A short, pale man carrying a dimly lit lantern appeared at Harry's side.

"Can I 'elp you, sir?" said Tom the innkeeper. Harry blinked stupidly for a moment.

"Oh, yes. We need, er..." Harry said, trailing off. He didn't know what the others would think if he got one room for him and Ginny, or if Ron and Hermione had wanted to share a room. "We'll take 2 rooms," Harry finally finished. Tom looked at them suspiciously. "Oh one for me and Ron, of course. And the other for Ginny and Hermione," Harry continued hastily. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Ginny raise an eyebrow in his direction. He returned her glance with a calm one, assuring her those weren't his true intentions. Moodily, Tom showed them to their rooms.

After Hermione and Ginny were sure Tom had left, they clambered into Harry and Ron's room and resumed their conversation from the street.

"But Harry," Ginny began, "how were you sure that cup was a Horcrux?"

"Because I saw it in a memory that Dumbledore had obtained. Voldemort was interested in pride and value, and therefore created all his Horcruxes from items he valued. He used Slytherin's locket, Hufflepuff's cup, his diary, Slytherin's ring, and something of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw's."

"So Voldemort has 5 Horcruxes?" At this, Harry shook his head.

"He has seven. Dumbledore and I agree that his sixth must be Nagini, and you must also count the remaining bit of soul Voldemort has left within his body."

"Seven is the most powerful number," Hermione added for Ginny's benefit.

"So how many are left?" Ginny questioned.

"4. The unknown object of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw's, Nagini, and Voldemort, himself. The diary, the ring, and now the cup have all been destroyed." Harry looked at his friends. Ginny was still soaking it all in. Ron looked at bit confused, but so did Hermione.

"Wait," Hermione said. "You said 4 remained, but you only named 3. What about the locket, Harry?" Harry stared down at his jeans. His right pocket had been the locket's home for the entirety of the summer.

"The locket… is still out there. Dumbledore and I were out, getting the locket the night he was… murdered. It wasn't until after he died that I realized the locket was a fake." Pulling the locket out of his pocket, Harry passed it to Hermione, who gasped. She read the note inside it aloud, skeptically.

"Who the hell is R.A.B.?" Ron finally asked after a minute of awkward silence.

"I don't know. I had a hunch it was Regulus, Sirius' brother. But when I went to Grimmauld Place, his mother told me her son would never steal from the Dark Lord. She said that he had died honorably, though I highly doubt that."

"So… You've got no other ideas?" Ron asked. Harry shook his head in reply. It was Hermione that spoke up after this.

"But Harry, why were you able to touch the Horcruxes and Dumbledore wasn't?"

"I don't know," Harry replied solemny.

"Well maybe," Hermione continued, "is it possible that the Horcruxes each have different magic? I mean, you touched the diary without any problems in our second year."

"Yes, and the locket had all kinds of protection around it. I guess that each Horcrux is different." Hermione handed the locket back to Harry, and Harry replaced it back into his pocket. He sighed slowly and felt Ginny rest her head on his side. Sensing that he and Ginny were tired, Hermione stood and turned to Ron.

"Let's go, Ron." Ron looked up at Hermione in shock.

"Where are we going," he said quickly, looking up at Hermione.

"Oh, you didn't actually think _you_ rooming with Harry, now did you?" Hermione said with a smile. Ron sent a questioning look at Harry. Harry winked at him and watched as Ron grinned and stood, following Hermione out the door.

Harry stood and went over to his trunk and got dressed in his pajamas. When he had turned back to Ginny, she was already in her nightgown and in bed. Harry laid next to her and smiled weakly. He was emotionally spent. As he went to give her a kiss, a large, brown owl fluttered through the window and landed on Harry's shoulder.

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A/N: Nora and I hope you all enjoy this! We spent many hours writing it. It's mainly explanatory, and we hope many of your questions were answered mostly, if not completely. Make sure to review or we just might not continue. Good night.


	8. Portraits, Pensieves, Plots! OH MY!

**HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR**

**Summary:** Harry Potter has returned from Hogwarts and has wasted no time in his search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Against the wishes of his friends, he goes off alone. Will Harry win the fight against Voldemort?

**Rated:** M for violence, language, and sex

**Disclaimer:** Roses are red,  
Violets are blue.  
I don't own Harry Potter,  
And neither do you.

**Chapter 8: Portraits, Pensieves, Plots! ((OH MY?))**

-----------------------------------------

Harry yelped in shock as the owl landed on his shoulder. He turned over and the bird clawed its way over to his stomach, sticking its leg out. As Harry took the letter tied to it, the bird fluttered out the window and into the night. Harry read the letter.

_Dear Mr. Potter,  
__We have become aware that you Apparated  
__tonight without a Ministry-approved license.  
__This is against the law, and you are now required  
__to attend a hearing on July the twenty-second.  
__Please attend promptly at 9:00 am at the Ministry  
__Of Magic._

Harry flung the letter over to the other side of the room, boredly. He had Apparated earlier, well aware of the fact that he did not have a license. Harry, however, didn't care. He wasn't going to get his license until after all the mess with Voldemort stopped. He glanced over at Ginny, who had obviously read the note over his shoulder.

"Harry, what're you going to do?" she asked.

"Ignore it, of course. Why the hell would I care if I had a hearing? This is just another attempt by the Ministry to stop me from being a wizard… Like they did two years ago." Harry layed back into the bed and covered himself with the blanket. "The only thing is," Harry continued sadly, "Dumbledore won't be here to stick up for me this time…"

Ginny stared down at Harry. She hated to see him like this. He looked so helpless, so sad. Ginny rolled over on top of Harry and put her right hand on his cheek. "Harry, I seriously think you need to take your mind away from al this. You're letting this take over your life, and not having any… _fun_," Ginny said with a grin.

Harry looked up at Ginny as she spoke. He smiled dimly as she told him that he needed to lighten up and have some fun. Taking her advice, Harry craned him neck upwards and slowly kissed Ginny, closing his eyes. It was pure heaven as she kissed him back, wrapping her hands around the back of his neck as they kissed. Ginny parted her lips, allowing Harry's tongue full access to her mouth. Ginny pulled herself closer to Harry, leaning into the kiss as far as possible. Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny's waist, pulling her even closer to him.

As they kissed on, the passion increased. Breaking only when necessary for breath, Harry and Ginny went at it for a while, not resting at all. Ginny began to feel Harry's enjoyment, as a growing sensation built itself up between Harry's legs. Ginny smiled into the kiss, giggling slightly. Harry broke the kiss panting, and rolled over, taking Ginny with him.

Now on top, Harry began trailing kisses down Ginny's collarbone. Ginny inhaled sharply as cold chills shot down her spine. As Harry continued around Ginny's collarbone, he unbuttoned her shirt and threw it over by the note. Ginny arched her back as Harry trailed kisses down her chest. His warm lips felt so nice against the coolness of her skin.

Ginny reached up and tore off Harry's shirt, throwing it randomly across the room. She didn't care one bit when it hit the lamp, causing it to fall and break. She reached up and placed her palms against Harry's stomach. Though he didn't have a muscular body, he was certainly toned.

Harry rubbed his hands over Ginny's sides. Her soft, smooth skin felt good under his coarse hands. Harry adjusted his legs into a more comfortable position; the hardness between his legs was getting to be quite an annoyance. As he moved, Ginny smirked at him.

"Having trouble?" she teased. Harry raised an eyebrow at Ginny.

"Why yes, I am. Would you care to do something about it?" he teased back. Ginny grinned at Harry and flipped him over. She trailed an index finger across his chest, and then down his stomach before reaching his pants. She undid his belt and slid Harry's pants off, revealing his fully erect member. Ginny grasped it as Harry moaned, and stroked it heatedly.

---

Harry blinked as the world around him came slightly into focus. As he reached over to the bed-side table and found his glasses, he put them on. All the blurriness subsided. The hotel room was bright. A steady beam of sunlight streamed through the open window and fell on Ginny's slumbering face. Harry smiled as he brushed a bit of hair out of her face and sighed. She was beautiful when she slept.

Ginny opened her eyes and blinked as she noticed Harry smiling at her. She laughed slightly and sighed. "Hullo, love. Sleep well?" she asked. Harry nodded.

"Yes, after that night we had, you have to be an insomniac to get no sleep," Harry said grinning. He recalled all the events of last night, since it was the most romantic night he and Ginny had ever had. Losing their virginity to one another had been the most sensational connection the two had experienced together. Harry was still invigorated from it all but he did have an annoying, persistent little nagging in the back of his mind. _I hope it was Ginny's first. I better have been Ginny's first..._ he thought.

Harry winked at Ginny after a moment and leaned forward, kissing her on the lips gently. "How about," Harry whispered into Ginny's ear, "we go to breakfast?" Ginny nodded and, as if on cue, her stomach growled noisily. After laughing with Ginny, Harry stood up from the bed. He noticed that he was naked and began blushing furiously until he realized the events that had transpired the night before. He smiled to himself stupidly and walked over to his trunk, pulling out a pair of boxers, faded jeans, and a tee shirt. He dressed silently.

After he was finished, Harry turned around. Ginny was standing by her trunk in jeans, but nothing else. Harry snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Ginny sighed and leaned back into Harry's arms after the initial shock had died down.

When Harry and Ginny had finally dressed completely, which took longer than usual, they made their way down to the Leaky Cauldron's Dining Hall. Hermione and Ron were already sitting down at a table, eating some eggs. Before they sat, Harry noted to Ginny secretly that Ron and Hermione looked as if they had gotten no sleep at all. Ron had dark bags under his eyes, and Hermione seemed to start dozing off every few seconds. Ginny giggled as she sat.

"Did you two sleep well?" Ginny asked, not letting on that they looked like a mess. Hermione's eyes shot up at Ginny's in response to her question. Ron looked angrily at Ginny.

"Oh shut up," he stated plainly as he ate some more eggs.

Harry looked down at his plate. Just as he began thinking that French Toast might be nice, a large pile of it appeared on his plate. It was coated with powdered sugar and drizzled with maple syrup. The scent coming off the plate was amazing. Harry sighed and saw Ginny staring at him out of the corner of his eye.

"How did you _do_ that?" she questioned. Harry grinned at her.

"Just think about food, I guess…" He turned back to his own plate and began eating. 2 plates of French Toast later, Harry was leaning back in his chair. His pants seemed tighter than earlier that morning. Harry watched as Ron and Hermione bickered over their breakfasts.

"Ron, you'd better not eat that waffle anywhere near me."

"And why not? You're eating one too!"

"Yes, _Ronald_," Hermione sneered, "but mine isn't covered in chocolate chips."

"So?"

"So? SO? That's a mouthful of cavities waiting to happen!"

"Hermione, just because your parents are dentists doesn't m-"

"DOESN'T MEAN WHAT? You'd better not go insulting my parents!"

Harry snorted in amusement as he and Ginny watched the argument. After a few minutes, Hermione moved her seat across from Harry's. She ate in silence for a moment, then stared up at Harry with a look of such seriousness that Harry knew what was coming.

"Harry," Hermione began in a whisper. "We need to talk about… the Horcruxes." Harry looked down at the table.

"What about them?"

"Well, where do we go from here? We still have the locket, Voldemort's snake, the one we don't know, and Voldemort himself to track down. Where do we go from here? What are we pursuing?"

Harry looked back up at Hermione, then at Ron and Ginny. All three of them were staring at him intently. Harry sighed.

"I… have no clue. I came to a dead end with the locket." Harry felt his cheeks twinge with heat.

"Well… I think we should start with the one we don't know," Ginny said confidently.

"Ginny's right," Hermione stated. "Voldemort and his snake should be left for last. And maybe the next Horcrux will help us in some way with the locket." At this, Ron nodded. Harry followed suit, at a loss for words.

Harry thought things over in his mind. The way he saw it, there was no where else to go. Dumbledore couldn't help them anymore, and no one else knew his secrets. Not even Harry knew them. He sighed. His memories of Dumbledore were racking through his brain. As Harry thought, he had a sudden idea.

"WAIT! At Hogwarts, every former Headmaster has their portrait hung up in Dumble… er… McGonagall's office, right?" At this suggestion, Hermione's head shot up. Ron's jaw dropped a little, and Ginny turned her head. "Well, what if we could talk to Dumbledore? Or his portrait, rather…"

Hermione beamed at Harry. "Harry, that's brilliant!" Harry smiled proudly at his idea. Hermione stood up and the remaining food on her plate vanished immediately. "Well, let's go, then!" Ginny laughed.

"Hermione, school doesn't start for another month and a half…"

"So?" Hermione retorted. "I know Professor McGonagall will be there… And I know the office will be accessible to Harry, it always has been." She looked around the table. "Well what are you all waiting for?"

"Hermione," Ron began, "maybe we should wait another week or so. I mean… we only just left the place." Ron pushed his mouth over to one side of his face, attempting to show a face of indecision. Hermione sat down, a bit flustered.

"Fine. We'll wait a few weeks, and _then_ go. Is that alright with you all?" she snapped. Obviously she had been very keen on going at that second.

---

3 weeks passed before the subject of returning to Hogwarts was brought up again. Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron had spent their days in Diagon Alley, and occasionally Hogsmeade, though they never went up to the castle. Harry and Ginny had several more encounters like they had their first night at the Leaky Cauldron, though none quite as passionate. Their first time had been fueled by the urge and want for it over a longer period of time. They were sitting in the Leaky Cauldron when Hermione brought the subject of Horcruxes up again.

"So… Have you all had enough time to relax before we go to Hogwarts?" she asked abruptly and randomly. Harry concluded this must have been on her mind the entire 3 weeks.

"Well… I think I'm ready," said Ron. He and Hermione were back on good terms, though Harry wondered how long it'd be until they had another of their random fights. Ginny nodded in agreement. Harry did so as well. Hermione stood and smiled at them.

"Good! I'm going to go pack." She gave Ron a look that had no expression whatsoever. Harry didn't understand it, but Ron apparently had, because he got up and followed Hermione up the stairs to their room. Harry looked at Ginny.

"So, do you think that they're doing shit together, or that she's got him whipped?" Harry asked jokingly.

"Whipped. Definitely. Hermione doesn't usually sneak off to go and get some action; she's probably got Ron packing her tampons." Ginny roared with laughter and Harry followed suit. The thought of a red-faced Ron holding a box of tampons for Hermione was extremely funny.

After Harry and Ginny had finished packing, they joined Ron and Hermione in the entrance hall with their trunks. Hermione smiled.

"So will we be taking the bus, Harry?" she asked.

"Um… no, we can Apparate to Hogsmeade." At this suggestion, Hermione raised her eyes.

"But Harry, you're already in danger. The Ministry has begun looking for you, since you didn't show up at your hearing."

"I don't care. They won't look at Hogwarts. We aren't supposed to be there during the summer."

"Oh," Hermione said skeptically. "Alright then." After securing their things, everyone turned on their heel and Disapparated, Ginny holding onto Harry again. They Apparated into the Three Broomsticks and sighed, being relieved of the feeling of Apparating, which none of them really liked. They exited the pub and began their trek up to Hogwarts' castle. Harry had had the idea of shrinking their trunks down to a miniature size that would fit into their pocket, so all four of them had done this.

After the walk, which dragged on for what Harry thought was an entire day, though it was merely an hour, Harry and the rest of his friends walked up to the castle's front doors. Harry reached forward to pull them open, but they were locked.

"Of course," said Hermione. "Why would Hogwarts have their doors unlocked if school's not even in session?"

"Well then what do we do?" Harry asked.

"Knock?" Ginny suggested. Harry looked skeptical, but turned to the door and knocked regardless. A hollow, loud knocking noise sounded. They waited a moment until speaking again.

"Now how is McGonagall going to hear a knock as quiet as-" Harry said, but was cut off. The doors had begun clicking, as if multiple locks were all being unlocked at the same time. After the clicking stopped, the doors swung in. Professor McGonagall stood in the door frame and was smiling.

"Potter, I'm glad you've come to me. I see my letter persuaded you?"

Harry looked at her uneasily, as if he didn't want to tell her the truth about why he really came. "Actually, Professor, I wanted to… to talk to Professor Dumbledore." At this statement, McGonagall's eyebrows shot up in shock.

"Potter, you of all people should know that-"

"No, I know he's dead. It's just that I thought his portrait in his old office might be able to help me." Harry watched as the ends of Professor's McGonagall's mouth twitched.

"Oh," she said, sounding a bit flustered. "So you won't be telling me what you and Professor Dumbledore were doing the night he was… murdered?" Harry thought it odd that he and McGonagall were still calling Dumbledore 'Professor', but didn't dwell on it much.

"No, sorry."

"Fine," McGonagall stated coldly. "Follow me." She led them up the stairs and through a familiar route to Dumbledore's office. Once they reached the gargoyle, McGonagall called out, "Canary Cream," and the gargoyle sprang to life and moved away. Harry looked inquisitively at McGonagall. Seeing Harry's look, she answered his obvious question.

"Professor Dumbledore had taken a liking to Fred and George's joke shop before he… died." She still had trouble saying that Dumbledore was dead. Harry noted to himself that this was one of the first weaknesses Harry had ever seen in his old teacher. McGonagall gestured at the stairs to Harry, allowing him to enter the staircase that led up to the office. After going up the staircase, Harry opened the familiar doors to Dumbledore's office. It still looked the same as when Harry had last seen it, when McGonagall talked to him after Dumbledore's death.

Harry walked over to Dumbledore's desk. While portraits surrounded the walls of the entire office, Dumbledore's portrait marked the end of the trail. His was the latest and last portrait on the walls, and was the closest to the desk. Harry walked over to the portrait. Dumbledore was napping. Harry tapped the portrait gently and Dumbledore awoke, startled. _Why didn't I just do this when I was in here last? A lot of trouble could have been spared_, Harry thought to himself. He stared down at his old headmaster.

"Um… Professor?" Harry began. Dumbledore swept his hands over his eyes and replied.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if you… could help me with something." Harry saw the memorable twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes.

"I shall help as much as I can," he stated.

"Well… I was wondering if you had anything else to tell me about the Horcruxes." At the mention of Horcruxes, Dumbledore's eyes flashed curiously.

"Horcruxes? Excuse me? How do you know what Horcruxes are?"

"How do I know what…? Professor Dumbledore, you _taught_ me what they were. You were the one to tell me all about how one was made and how Voldemort had used them." Dumbledore narrowed his eyes.

"You are very brave to speak his name. Why do you do it?" Harry was amazed. Dumbledore didn't understand anything he said. Maybe portraits were stupider versions of the actually people they reflected.

"Professor, don't you know who I am?" Harry asked.

"I've never seen you before in my life, though you do look familiar. You look very much like…" Professor Dumbledore gasped slightly. "You are Harry Potter!"

Harry turned exasperatedly to his friends, who had entered the room behind him. He looked at them with a significance that said 'What do I do now?' He turned back to Dumbledore's portrait.

"Yes, I am Harry Potter. Why don't you recognize me? You taught me personally!"

"Did I? I must have done that after this portrait was made…" Harry narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"What does the date the portrait was made have anything to do with your knowledge of me?"

"It's quite simple, actually. A man or woman in a portrait only has the knowledge that they had when they were painted. I know only what I knew before I was painted."

"Well when was this painted, then?"

"A short while after I accepted the job as Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Dumbledore said proudly. Harry sighed loudly.

"Well did you or did you not have any knowledge of Voldemort's Horcruxes before this was painted?"

"I suspected, but have never been able to prove it."

"Well you did, but obviously after this was made. Professor, you proved Voldemort had Horcruxes – seven of them, in fact, counting himself. You destroyed one, I destroyed another, and I've just destroyed a third a few weeks ago. I don't know how to find any more, though." Harry stared at Dumbledore as he sighed thoughtfully.

"I only remember seeing Voldemort once after he had gained his followers, and before he had begun to hate me. He tried to apply for a job, though I knew not to give him one."

"Yes, I've seen that memory, Professor."

"Well then you saw that I turned him down. However, he didn't seem too disappointed that he didn't get the job. Sure, he was enraged at first, but it subsided. In fact, when I left him, he had no expression on his face whatsoever." Harry's jaw dropped.

"When you _left_ him?"

"Yes, when I went to go to tell Mr. Filch that Voldemort was to be leaving." Harry stared at Dumbledore, dumbfounded.

"You actually left him _alone_ in your office? What are you, mad?" Dumbledore chuckled to himself.

"Voldemort would never attempt something with me so close."

"Yes he would! He's done it before and he'd have done it then!" Harry stood up and rushed over to where Dumbledore kept his Pensieve. He pulled it out and hauled it over to the desk, not realizing just how heavy it was.

Harry leaned over into it and felt a rushing against him. He blinked at was standing exactly where he had been before in Dumbledore's office, though Dumbledore was now sitting behind his desk. As Harry turned around, he saw his friends materialize one-by-one in front of him with a small flash of light. He assumed they had followed him into the Pensieve.

As Ron, Hermione, and Ginny moved out of the way, Harry saw Voldemort sitting in a chair. He looked very angry. As Harry continued to stare at Voldemort he felt a large amount of hatred brewing inside of him. Voldemort, however, was losing the angry expression from his face. After a short amount of time, he seemed calm and collected – an odd sort of look to have, Harry thought, for one who just got turned down. Finally Dumbledore stood.

"I shall go and arrange for your return home," said Dumbledore in his familiar voice. Having said all he needed to, Dumbledore walked past Harry and continued out the door. When Voldemort heard the click of the door shutting, he immediately stood up. He hurried over to what Harry recognized as Gryffindor's sword. Harry swore under his breath. _Dumbledore always tried to see more good in people than they actually had. He'd been so naïve. Voldemort DID turn the sword into a Horcrux!_

As Voldemort lifted the sword up, Harry looked over at his friends. They all had open mouths and were staring fixedly at Voldemort, and were giving Harry an occasional glance. Harry looked back at Voldemort. He now had the sword grasped firmly in his left hand. In his right hand, he held his wand.

"Murphy!" called Voldemort's cold, shrill voice. Shortly after he spoke, a black flame erupted next to him. From out of the flame came a man Harry had never seen before, though he assumed his name was Murphy. Murphy had a bald spot on the top of his blonde head. He wore rags and looked as if he hadn't shaven for days. Once the flames had died away, Murphy bent over into a kneeling bow. Voldemort pointed his wand at the ceiling of the room, and said, "Mufliato." A beam of misty light shot up and covered the ceiling. Voldemort shot it all over the room before ending the spell. Harry realized that Voldemort had just made sure no one could hear any noise coming from the room.

"My lord. I am ready," the man said simply. At this, Voldemort nodded and began an elaborate wand-waving, while still holding the sword. Harry moved behind Voldemort to get a better view of Murphy. He was watching Voldemort do his waving from his kneeling position. His eyes were wide with shock, and Harry thought they had a bit of fear in them as well.

Voldemort finally finished his elaborate gesture and held the wand pointed at Murphy.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort called out loudly. Harry watched in horror as a flash of green light engulfed the room and Murphy's cries echoed off the walls. Harry then heard Voldemort once more. "CRUXIA!" he shouted even louder. Harry continued to watch as the green light came back to the tip of his wand and formed a small bead of glowing, green light. Voldemort began wincing in pain as the bead grew larger, and eventually shot out at Murphy. Murphy screamed louder until he finally fell into a motionless mass on the floor. From out of Murphy's mouth, came a gloomy and dark mist of smoke. It rose up into the air and hovered. Voldemort, who now seemed to be sweating, held the sword's blade out under the smoke. Black drops of liquid, dripped from the smoke onto the sword. A small hissing noise was heard, and then the liquid was gone.

The smoke vanished from the air as Voldemort sighed heavily and hurried over to where the Sorting Hat sat on its shelf. He waved his wand tiredly. In reaction, the sword zoomed from his hand and into the hat, continuing in until it was gone. Voldemort placed the hat back up on the shelf and removed the silencing spell from the room. He then walked out of the office. Harry felt a rushing once more as he was sucked out of the Pensieve. He had seen all he needed to. Voldemort _had_ made the sword a Horcrux, even though Dumbledore thought it had been protected the whole time.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Authors' Note:** Nora and Sean, here. We just wanted to apologize for the wait for this chapter. Nora went on vacation, and Sean decided not to post this chapter until Nora had read it. Sean would also like to add that he loves typing in the third person. XD

Sean would also like to address a question that came up in the comments:

Harry didn't check the tapestry to look at Regulus' name because he already had seen it a year or so before then. He knew that it merely said Regulus Black. (We checked, don't scream atus…)

Another chapter should be up soon! Review and bookmark us!


	9. And So It Begins

**HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR**

**Summary:** Harry Potter has returned from Hogwarts and has wasted no time in his search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Against the wishes of his friends, he goes off alone. Will Harry win the fight against Voldemort?

**Rated:** M for violence, language, and sex

**Disclaimer:** Roses are red,  
Violets are blue.  
I don't own Harry Potter,  
And neither do you.

**Chapter 9: And So It Begins**

-----------------------------------------

Harry was shocked. He had expected something to happen, but hadn't imagined that the memory would reveal a Horcrux. Harry glanced around the room, first at the pensieve, still containing several small memories, next at his friends' faces, blank in shock. Then, he looked over at the glass case where Dumbledore had kept Gryffindor's sword. There it sat, untouched, probably since Harry's second year at Hogwarts. He approached it slowly, purposefully.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione cautioned.

"Well, let's see. My parents are dead. Voldemort killed them. He's made my life a living hell, and now he's found a way to make himself immortal. Oh, by the way he's after me personally at the moment. And so is the Ministry of Magic. Wait, looky here, if I can destroy this thing, it would take away a fraction of his immortality. Actually, after this one, there'll only be 2 more Horcruxes until I can face him personally and destroy the last trace of Voldemort. Now, are you suggesting that I take my time and let him find out that I'm on a mission to destroy his Horcruxes? Or are you going to get let me get rid of this one now so we can hurry and get to the others?"

"Well, of course we should go after the others. I just… think you should wait," Hermione replied.

Harry stared.

"Well, do you really want something like the Knight Bus to happen again? With Professor McGonagall? At Hogwarts?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think –"

"Oh, come off it, Harry. You don't know what'll happen any more than the rest of us."

Harry looked over at Ginny and Ron. Ron was still staring at the sword, dumbstruck. Ginny was nodding.

"I think you should be more careful, Harry," she said.

Harry gazed over at her, and she was looking back at him meaningfully. He remembered their fight atop the Knight Bus. He would hate anything to ever happen to Ginny. He couldn't live. And for a brief moment, he had a flash of Cho Chang, sobbing all over him every time Cedric Diggory was mentioned – or not, for that matter. Harry couldn't bear to see Ginny reduced to such a pathetic wreck, though he acknowledged the fact that Ginny was a considerably stronger person than Cho.

"Hermione, you don't understand. This is something I need to do," Harry said. He stepped toward the glass.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted.

"I have to, Hermione! This Horcrux is right here, and it eneds to be destroyed before Voldemort finds out." Harry reached up and removed the glass case. "I'm going to do this, Hermione, with or without your help."

Hermione stared at him, her face turning quite red. Ginny looked apprehensive. Harry lifted out the sword as Hermione whipped out her wand and thrusted it toward Harry.

"Petrificus Totalus," she shouted. Seconds after the spell had been said, Harry's limbs snapped together against his body. He rocked to and fro for a second, attempting to maintain his balance, before he finally fell flat on the floor on his back. The sword clattered to the floor next to him. Harry glared up at Hermione. She returned his gaze with pity and remorse. Harry tried to speak, but his jaws were locked together. She flicked her wand at Harry's mouth and he felt his jaw loosen.

Hermione walked over next to Harry and bent down, picking up the sword. She brushed a piece of hair out of her face as she stood up and said, "I'm _really_ sorry, Harry. But I can't let you do this. You still don't know how to break a Horcrux. The only reason you were able to defeat the last one was because it was gold and unprotected. Swords have all kinds of enchantments on them, and you won't be able to just melt it down." Hermione used the same shrinking charm Harry had used on their trunks to reduce the sword to a more compact size. She slipped it into her pocket.

"Harry I really am sorry. But I can't unbind you until you understand."

"Oh shut _up_, will you? You just want the glory of being the person who discovers how to destroy the Horcrux!" Harry said angrily in a raised voice. His temper was steadily rising by the second. Ron and Ginny's jaws were dropped behind Hermione, shocked that Harry had actually suggested this about Hermione. Hermione, on the other hand, looked as if she were about to cry.

"I don't," she said quietly. "You know that's not true Harry…" she trailed off. Harry continued to glare angrily at Hermione. Ginny stepped forward.

"Harry, _you_ need to shut up," she said simply. Harry looked over at her, shocked.

"No! This isn't your fight! It's not hers or Ron's either, for that matter! This is mine against Voldemort's and she is only trying to stop me! She may as well join Voldemort's followers if she's going to prevent me from destroying him!"

"NO!" Ron bellowed. Harry would have flinched but he couldn't move. "You know just as well as I that Hermione has _always_ been there for us, especially you. She helped you learn all those spell for the Triwizard Tournament, she helped you go after Voldemort on several occasions. You're out of line!" Harry was slightly shocked at Ron too.

"_She_ is out of line by preventing me from destroying Voldemort!"

"She isn't preventing you, Harry, she's protecting you! Hermione is just trying to ensure your safety. The last thing she wants is for you to die or get injured trying to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes. How do you expect to fight Voldemort if you're injured – or dead, for that matter?" A tear slid down Hermione's cheek. Harry glared at Ron, shooting daggers from his eyes.

"Erm… we've talked about this," Ron muttered.

"Stop," she whispered. Amongst all the fighting, it was the loudest thing the other three could hear. "Stop fighting. Harry, I just don't want you hurt. I want you to succeed, and I want you to rid us all of Voldemort and the Death Eaters, but you're not going to get hurt as you rid him of his Horcruxes. You need to stay at your best; otherwise the entire world has no chance, Wizards and Muggles alike."

Silence echoed as Harry, Ron, and Ginny soaked in Hermione's words. Harry looked down and felt his face heat with embarrassment. "I… Fine. I'll wait," Harry said plainly. Hermione smiled at him slightly and hugged his still-rigid body.

"Um… would you mind taking off the spell now, Hermione?" Harry asked. Hermione giggled and flicked her wand at Harry as he felt his limbs relax. He sighed and got up. Ron still looked angry from their row, and Ginny looked teary.

"Okay?" he asked. Hermione sighed as she left the office, wiping her eyes. The rest of them followed. Professor McGonagall was waiting nearby at the foot of the stairs.

"Did you children do what you… came for?" McGonagall asked sourly.

"Yes, Professor. Thank you," Harry replied. "Erm… Professor?"

"Yes, Potter?"

"Do you think that maybe, we could stay in the castle until school starts? I mean, you're here. We wouldn't be any hassle, really."

Professor McGonagall looked skeptical, though she sighed. "I have a feeling I'll regret this, but it is a rough time for us all, Potter. You four can stay."

"Oh, thank you so much, Professor!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Yes, don't let me down." Professor McGonagall replied.

---

The weeks passed as Harry and the rest stayed peacefully in the castle, trying to decide how to destroy the new Horcrux. They had no luck. The first day of Hogwarts arrived, and Hermione shrieked with delight at the first sight of the Hogwarts Express chugging toward the castle. She and Harry had made up, and Ron had been content ever since.

"Can you hardly believe this is our last year at Hogwarts? Oh, but we'll have to work extra hard, of course, this year is the final determination of our futures!" Hermione had been rambling like this for weeks. The rest of them weren't nearly as excited.

As the entrance doors to the Great Hall opened, and the year's crop of young witches and wizards poured in, there was an indistinct feeling about the place. The younger ones bustled in, excited, happy, and nervous. But the more veteran students seemed more solemn. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"Hey, Harry! We didn't see you on the train!" Neville Longbottom called over to the four. Dean Thomas was with him.

"Yeah, hey," he said. He seemed a bit standoffish, although understandably.

The students continued to file into the Hall. Finally, Hagrid came through the doors leading a line of tiny first years, trailing behind like baby ducks. They remained at the front of the hall as Professor McGonagall came out with the Sorting Hat. She placed it upon its stool and it gave its speech:

_Although my looks are not the best,  
__In knowledge I am wise  
__To put you into an age old house  
__We commence an exercise.  
__This school was founded years ago,  
__The group contained but four:  
__Bright Ravenclaw, Loyal Huffelpuff,  
__Cunning Slytherin, Brave Gryffindor.  
__Between the lot, friendships were strong,  
__But values surpassed all,  
__And so four houses came to be,  
__Standing old and true and tall.  
__So place me down upon your head,  
__And I will try to see  
__Which leader you'd have pleased the most,  
__In that house you shall be.  
__But heed a warning, students all,  
__My Sorting shall not break  
__The ancient bonds between the group –  
__This, Hogwarts could not take.  
__For those binds between its founders  
__Keep our home place strong,  
__And if they were to separate  
__We simply could not belong.  
__And so as we begin this year  
__I have to mention this:  
__Unless we stay together strong,  
__Hogwarts we're sure to miss.  
__The separation of our lot  
__Will cause the Great Downfall  
__As the glue continues to chip away  
__The task comes to us all  
__To stay together strong and true  
__Of this we must be sure.  
__And on a personal note, I must say,  
__Rest in Peace, Albus Dumbledore._

The younger students all cheered. A talking hat was sure to be a great entertainment for them. But the older students were just reminded of Dumbledore. Then, from Able, James through Young, Eliza, the first years were sorted. As the last one scampered over to the Hufflepuff table, the Great Hall fell silent. This was where Professor Dumbledore gave his welcoming speech. Professor McGonagall tapped her spoon against her glass, although it was hardly necessary in the silence. All eyes turned towards her.

"Students, welcome to Hogwarts. As you all know, I am Professor McGonagall," she paused. "Your headmistress. Now, I know it has been customary for many years for the headmaster to give a welcoming speech to you all, but I feel that it would be important for someone else to speak first."

She turned her head towards the side of the room. Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic approached her. A soft whispering buzz filled the Great Hall.

"What's that prat doing here, Harry?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. He'd better not be doing anything like Umbridge," Harry whispered back.

"You'd think the ministry had learned after her," Ginny noted.

"Shh! Let's hear what he has to say." Hermione waved her hand at them. The hall had again grown quiet.

"Hello, student of Hogwarts," he began. "This will be a journey of a year for us all. The past few months have brought a drastic change of circumstances. You have lost your headmaster, but no matter, you have a new one." He glanced over at Professor McGonagall, who nodded. "Yes, well much more importantly, we must be careful, as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned!" He paused dramatically, but was greeted by nothing but silence and semi-attentive stares.

"Does he think this is new to us?" Harry muttered.

"So," Scrimgeour continued. "We will have much increased security here at Hogwarts this year. The Ministry will take extra precautions to make sure you are all very, very safe. But otherwise, you children shall continue as normal. Carry on."

"Thank you, Minister," Professor McGonagall concluded. "And now, children, we will commence with our start of term feast. Please don't eat yourselves silly, as you all will be beginning classes tomorrow. When you have finished, you may retire to you dormitories. Begin!"

The golden platters in front of all the students magically filled with food. They each piled food onto their plates before them, hungrily. After three helpings, dessert appeared before them all. As Harry began to pile pumpkin pasties onto his plate, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Harry turned to see a pair of bright, keen, yellowish eyes behind a pair of spectacles, a sight that he had come to dislike very much.

"Yes?" Harry questioned resiliently. Scrimgeour raised an eyebrow at Harry's robust actions, but shrugged it off.

"I would like to have a word with you, Mr. Potter," Scrimgeour said bluntly.

"No," Harry said as he turned back to his Pasties. Hermione shot him a look.

"Go with him," she hissed under her breath. Harry shook his head no.

"He is probably going to confront me about the hearing I ignored!" Harry said quietly. Hermione's eyes flashed.

"Harry, if those were his intentions, he wouldn't have waited this long to speak with you! Now GO!" she hissed once more. Harry finally gave in and turned in his seat. As he had expected, Scrimgeour was still standing behind him, waiting. Harry stood and followed him out of the Great Hall without a word. They stopped in the first empty classroom they came across.

"What is it?" Harry asked hotly. He had very much wanted to get back to the feast. As if able to read his mind, Scrimgeour flicked his wand at the air. A small tray appeared and hovered for a moment as a few desserts popped up on it. Scrimgeour flicked his wand again and muttered something quietly, but Harry didn't know what it was for.

"Eat up, and we'll talk," the Minister said. His eyes bore down on Harry's until Harry finally reached out and grabbed a pumpkin pasty.

It happened suddenly and unexpectedly as Harry grabbed the dessert. Just as his fingers had wrapped around it, he felt a familiar jerk from somewhere behind his navel. He tried to take his hand off the food, but he couldn't. It felt as though his fingers were sealed to the cake magically. Harry felt his feet lift off the ground as he sped through a flash of bright colors and howling wind until his feet slammed hard back onto the ground. Harry fell over as he felt the ground underneath his feet. He looked around as he stood.

**Authors' Note: **

Nora: We're approaching a tricky part in the story now, but we think it's going to be really great! Sean and I had totally different takes on it, so this is the first chapter that we both wrote in its entirety, and this final product is an accumulation of the two versions. We hope it came together okay!

Sean: Sean would like to point out that Nora is stubborn, as is Sean. They both had two whole separate ideas, and it was Sean who eventually gave in. But Sean would like to now take the time to answer a few reviewers:

It is completely within canon that Dumbledore wasn't near Voldemort as he formed the Horcrux, yet Harry can see him do it in the memory. If you read OoTP, when Harry goes into Snape's memories, Snape isn't near James and his friends the whole time, yet Harry is still able to follow them. JKR has said inn an interview that it is what really happens, and that is that. Sean would answer more questions about the Pensieve and chapter 8, but Sean cannot. Your questions will be answered by the end, though! SEAN GARUNTEES.


	10. The Veil and its Secrets

**HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR**

**Summary:** Harry Potter has returned from Hogwarts and has wasted no time in his search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Against the wishes of his friends, he goes off alone. Will Harry win the fight against Voldemort?

**Rated:** M for violence, language, and sex

**Disclaimer:** Roses are red,  
Violets are blue.  
I don't own Harry Potter,  
And neither do you.

**Chapter 10: The Veil and its Secrets**

-----------------------------------------

Harry stood and stared around at his new surroundings. He felt rather stupid for actually taking Scrimgeour's food. His hunger had clouded his thoughts. Harry walked around slightly and heard the clatter of his feet against the hard, cold stone floor echo against the walls. There were no windows or doors. There were no bars or any way that Harry saw that he could get out, or that someone else could get in.

Harry turned and tried to Apparate, but merely caused himself to lose his balance and fall. _I can't Apparate_, he thought,_ and I can't find a physical way out… How the hell am I going to escape?_ Harry looked up at the ceiling, but could only see dark shadows. It didn't look like the room ever ended. Harry heard a feint _pop_ behind him. He turned to see Scrimgeour standing a few feet behind him, grinning.

"Hello, Mr. Potter," the old minister said.

"Let me go," Harry said defiantly. Scrimgeour chuckled and pushed up his wire-rimmed spectacles up his nose.

"No, I believe you'll be staying here for quite a while, Mr. Potter. You may as well get used to it."

"Why are you keeping me here?" Harry shouted at Scrimgeour.

"Well you see, Harry, you told me that you didn't want to support the wizarding world." Harry's eyes widened, and then narrowed in confusion.

"What?" he asked incredulously.

"You told me that you wouldn't raise moral for the witches and wizards we dutifully serve." Harry threw his hands up in anger.

"I won't be your poster child! I WON'T!"

"I know, Harry," Scrimgeour said a bit too calmly. "I have given up on that idea."

"Then what am I doing here?" Harry asked rudely. "This better not be about the hearing that I missed. I don't care about that, all I did was Apparate!"

"Oh, it isn't about that. We gave you a change to come to us and work with us. You said no. You didn't come willingly, so we used force. We're keeping you now. You are ours."

Harry widened his eyes in anger. His hand flew to his pocket where he drew his wand and pointed it angrily at Scrimgeour.

"I am not _yours_!" he shouted, giving his wand a threatening thrust at the Minister. "I am no one's! LET ME OUT!" he bellowed, louder than ever.

Scrimgeour felt his toes curl in slight fear. This was a side of the Boy-Who-Lived that he'd never seen or heard of before. He actually felt slightly _scared_ of Harry – a child! Scrimgeour now realized the threat that Voldemort sensed in Harry. Harry wasn't just a schoolboy who had a knack for getting into trouble; Harry was fierce when he needed to be. Scrimgeour almost felt like taking a step back from Harry, but instead held his ground. He pulled out his wand and tried to sound calm, though it was beginning to prove difficult.

"Harry, I don't think you want to do that, especially not within the Ministry."

"Let… Me… Out," Harry said through gritted teeth. He was so close to losing his temper, so close to doing something he'd regret later on. He flashed his eyes angrily at the man instead, trying to control himself yet still remaining a threat.

"Harry," Scrimgeour said, smiling slightly, "You need not be angry at me. Be angry at yourself. After all, it is you who has caused this series of events. It's you who rejected the Ministry of magic, and all of wizardkind."

"I DID NO SUCH THING!" Harry screamed at the top of his lungs. He glared at Scrimgeour furiously, hearing his own angry shouts echoing off the cold walls of his cell. "I did _not_ reject wizardkind, I did _not_ reject the Ministry of Magic! All I did was resist _you_!" Harry lunged forward with his wand and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" Scrimgeour flew back and hit the stone wall, his wand flying out of his hand. Harry heard a loud clatter that echoed throughout the room as the wand came crashing back down to the floor.

Scrimgeour looked up at Harry, enraged. He stood and thrust his hand in front of him. His wand flew to it immediately. Scrimgeour retracted his wand, about to do a spell, but Harry was too quick.

"Impedimenta!" Harry shouted quickly. Scrimgeour was hit with the spell and took a few steps back, looking slightly shocked. He began to Disapparate, but was moving slowly. It seemed that the spell took an effect on Scrimgeour that slowed him down, as if he were on a tape being played back in slow-motion.

Harry watched as Scrimgeour began turning slowly. It took Harry a second to realize he was trying to Disapparate out of the cell Harry was being kept in. Quickly, Harry rushed forward, stuffing his wand into his right pants pocket. He clung to Scrimgeour's arm tightly and shut his eyes. Before Scrimgeour could shake Harry off, he had turned on his heel and Disapparated. Harry felt the familiar feeling that he hated, but tried to keep his focus. He'd soon be Apparating somewhere with Scrimgeour, and wouldn't have much time to recover.

As the feeling lifted off Harry, he inhaled quickly and turned. He saw Scrimgeour lifting his wand, ready to attack. Harry whirled around and kicked with all his force. The Minister flew back and landed hard on his back, clutching his stomach hard. Without caring, Harry took off down the nearest hallway.

While Scrimgeour was still in pain, he managed to muster the strength and breath to scream. Several guards heard him and came tearing down the hallway Harry was running up. They spotted him, wands in hand. Quickly Harry took out his own wand.

"Stupefy!" he cried as all the guards were hit with a bolt of red light. They stopped in their tracks and fell to the ground, unconscious. Harry continued running down the hallway. A man down the hallway was walking slowly.

"MOVE!" Harry shouted, but to no avail. Harry saw no choice but to stun the man as well. Papers went flying as the gentleman was hit with a bolt of red light. Harry ran over his scattered papers that littered the floor, and hopped over his limp body. "Sorry!" he called after the man, though the man couldn't hear him. He continued to run down the hall.

Turning a corner, Harry came across Tonks and Mr. Weasley talking about some matter that Harry assumed was work-related. They looked at him, shocked. Harry merely waved at them slightly and continued running, his strength holding up. As he rounded another corner he could have sworn her heard Tonks mutter, "What the f…?"

Harry persisted in his escape, trying to find a way out. As he passed a large amount of guards, they all fell to the ground with flashes of light. Harry slowed, confused. _He_ hadn't cast any spells on the guards. As he stared behind the collapsing sentries, he saw Ginny, Ron, and Hermione hopping over their bodies quickly.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted excitedly. She looked as if she were about to say more, but she was cut off.

"No time to talk!" Harry said quickly, beginning his run again. Without even being told, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione tore after Harry down the hallways and corridors, not saying anything. As Harry began to tire, he noticed they were further under the ground than Harry had originally started. He decided that he should find a place to hide, a place to explain to his friends the events that had transpired during his absence. Harry spotted a door as he ran down an old-looking corridor and opened it, thrusting himself in it. His friends entered seconds after him, and Harry slammed the door shut and locked it. He leaned over, resting his arms on his knees, panting.

As Harry looked up at his friends, finally gaining control of his breath, he noticed a few things. The first of which, was that the room had an eerie blue look to it. Also, Ginny and Hermione had very shocked expressions on their faces, while Ron looked dumbfounded. Harry looked around, expecting the worst, but merely found they were in a round room that was entirely black. There were several doors all over, each black as well. The eerie blue, Harry realized, came from the countless blue-flamed candles floating around the room, their shimmering light reflecting off every surface in the room.

Immediately, the circular wall began rotating, and Harry realized which room he was now in. He had run to the Department of Mysteries, not even realizing it. Harry hadn't meant to run here, but upon noticing their surroundings, came to a revelation. Without any explanation, Harry walked over to a door and opened it. Inside, Harry saw clocks everywhere. A brilliant glare filled his eyes as he saw large cloaks, small clocks, grandfather clocks, and any other clock one could imagine. At the far end of the room, a huge crystal bell jar stood. Harry realized he'd opened the wrong door and shut it.

As the walls began moving again, Harry turned around. His friends stood behind him, confused.

"Harry, what happened?" Ginny asked.

"Scrimgeour tricked me. He offered me food, which was a Portkey. It took me to…" Harry trailed off distracted. The walls had ceased to move once more. "It took me to a jail-type thing that had no way for me to Disapparate out of. Scrimgeour came in and said that if I wasn't going to be his little poster boy, I wasn't going to be doing anything." Hermione gasped. Ron and Ginny merely widened their eyes. "He accused me… of betraying the wizarding world, saying that I wouldn't give them hope. I shot a few spells at him, and as he went to Disapparate, I grabbed onto his arm and Disapparated alongside him. I kicked him and ran, and that's where you guys showed up." Harry walked over to another door. It was locked. He continued on to the next one.

It opened and Harry looked into it. Inside the rectangular room was a sunken pit in the center. In the stone pit stood a familiar stone archway that had a fluttering black veil hung from it. Harry walked down to the arch and his friends followed.

"Harry, what are you doing?" questioned Hermione in a worried tone. Harry stared fixedly and the veil, hearing faint whispers from it, though he couldn't decipher them. "Harry?" Hermione repeated, sounding even more scared and worried than before.

"Sirius?" Harry whispered. Hermione's eyebrows shot up.

"Sirius isn't there, Harry, he's dead." Harry ignored her.

"Sirius?" he asked again, taking a small step forward. The whispers seemed to get louder as he neared the archway.

"Harry, stop you're scaring me!" Hermione said. "Sirius isn't here!" Harry looked at her.

"Don't you hear the whispering? Someone's _in there_."

"No one's whispering, Harry," Hermione stated. "Only you." Harry returned his gaze to the arch. Someone definitely _was_ whispering, though Harry couldn't see who. He remembered what Luna said about talking to people behind the veil, but he didn't think it would work. _Could you talk to people that weren't even there? What if they weren't even people?_

Harry lurched forward and thrust his hand out and pushed the veil back. He plunged his index finger through the arch and screamed, shutting his eyes. Millions of voices were echoing in his head, all saying thing Harry couldn't understand. Suddenly a smooth, cool feeling drifted over his mind and the voices died down. He pictured a swirling of black, blue, red, and green, and smelled an unusual scent that fluttered by his nostrils lazily. _Sirius_, Harry thought clearly in his mind. His thought echoed loudly in his mind. The amounts of green in the swirls swelled as the other colors were pushed away slightly.

_Sirius_, Harry thought clearly again, though not as loudly. The swirls of color returned to normal. _Harry?_ A voice answered, sounding strangely familiar. Harry was shocked.

_Sirius? _Harry thought, probing his mind even further into the trance.

_Harry, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at-?_

_Sirius_, Harry said quickly, cutting Sirius off,_ I need your help. Your brother, Regulus…_ Another echo filled Harry's head, though it was faint and barely noticeable. It sounded gruff and angry. Harry pushed it from his mind. _What happened to him?_ A clear picture of Sirius grew in Harry's mind. Harry watched it as it spoke to him, the blue in the churning behind him growing.

_He is dead, Harry. I've told you this._ Sirius turned to his left and stared at something next to him that Harry couldn't see. He turned back to Harry. _We do not have much time. Here…_ The image of Sirius faded from Harry's mind. Red flashed dangerously all over Harry's thoughts. Suddenly black swarmed his mind, filling every crevice of his brain. All was dark. The millions of voices shouting and echoing filled Harry's head until he thought he wouldn't be able to take it anymore. Then they all stopped.

_Harry?_ asked an old voice Harry thought he knew. _You do not have much time._ A misty image of Dumbledore faded into Harry's mind as the colors in the background changed back to normal. Dumbledore looked worried.

_Professor?_

_Harry, don't speak – listen. Gryffindor's sword is a Horcrux. I discovered it the night we went out, but planned on telling you after we got back. I didn't find it more important than the mission at hand._

_Professor, I know, we went back into your memories and spoke to your portrait._ At the mention of his memories and portrait, a twinkle formed in Dumbledore's eyes.

_Smart boy. I did the same, myself, and discovered my naivety. I assumed too little of Voldemort that night._Harry began having trouble hearing Dumbledore. His form was slowly fading away and his voice was getting quieter. The swirls of black behind Dumbledore were growing.

_Professor, what's-?_

_Harry… Fawkes… He… power… the Horcrux._ Harry could barely hear Dumbledore anymore.

_Professor the locket was fake! _Harry shouted with all his might. His thoughts echoed loudly in his head. A buzzing noise grew from a distance. _PROFESSOR!_

_Locket…needs…now… Promise… please…_

Dumbledore's image faded away. Darkness engulfed Harry's visions once again as the buzzing grew to a huge shouting and echoing of voices.

_Sirius…_Harry thought intently. _Sirius… Dumbledore… SIRIUS!_

Harry screamed in agony. The pain was too much. The cool feeling was drifting away from him. A mass of dead air filled his lungs. Harry felt his eyes roll back into his head and felt shaking. A searing pain shot up Harry's arm as a blinding white light flashed before Harry's eyes. The light faded away. Harry thought no more.

---------------------------------

**Authors' Note:**

_Sean_: Sean and Nora are deeply sorry. This chapter took way too long to write, but mainly because Sean was distracted by girls. Once more, Sean apologizes.

_Nora_: -Nods head.- …Stupid shit can't write a damn chapter without being scolded…


	11. Fun and Fury

**HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR**

**Summary:** Harry Potter has returned from Hogwarts and has wasted no time in his search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Against the wishes of his friends, he goes off alone. Will Harry win the fight against Voldemort?

**Rated:** M for violence, language, and sex

**Disclaimer:** Roses are red,  
Violets are blue.  
I don't own Harry Potter,  
And neither do you.

**Chapter 11: Fun and Fury.**

-----------------------------------------

Harry sighed heavily. He tried looking around him, but everything was dark. He tried squinting, but realized he hadn't opened his eyes. As he did, light flooded his view, causing Harry to shut his eyes quickly in pain. He opened his eyes more slowly and reached over to the bedside table. He pulled his glasses over his face and the world came into focus.

Ron was sitting next to him, his eyes scanning the inside of a Quidditch magazine. Hermione was pacing by Ron, muttering quietly to herself. Harry turned his head and saw Ginny sitting on the bed next to him, her head in her hands. Harry sighed loudly, announcing that he was awake. His head hurt terribly. He put his arms behind him, trying to get up, but felt a hot pain shoot up his right arm. Harry fell back onto the bed and held his arm straight out. It was bandaged heavily. As the pain slowly subsided, Hermione rushed over to him.

"Harry, oh my god! Are you okay? What's wrong? Do you need something? Are you hungry?" Hermione continued to fret over Harry until he stopped her.

"Hermione, I'm fine but… what am I doing here?" Harry asked, glancing around the room. Hew as back in Hogwarts, in the Hospital Wing. As he concentrated on remembering where he was before waking, Harry's head began throbbing. Suddenly he remembered.

"Why aren't we in the Department of Mysteries?"

"Harry, shush. We're out of there now," Hermione said. Ginny was now looking at Harry. She looked very tired, as if she hadn't slept at all, and was waiting for Harry to wake the whole time. Ron had placed the Quidditch magazine on the ground.

"Harry, don't you remember anything that happened?" he asked. Harry nodded, though it made his headache seem worse.

"I talked to Sirius! I talked to Sirius and Dumbledore. Dumbledore said he knew the sword was a-"

"Harry?" Ginny asked, sounding as tired as she looked. "You didn't talk to anyone. You put your hand through the arch and started screaming in pain. Then you went into a sort of trance. It was really weird, we were so scared."

Harry narrowed his eyes in confusion and looked at each of his friend in turn. He hadn't gone into a trance… He'd talked to Dumbledore and Sirius!

"I never went into a trance, I… I talked to them."

"No, Harry. After you went into your trance, you just stood there. We tried to call your name and get you to respond, but it didn't seem like you heard us. Then you sort of went rigid. You were screaming at the top of your lungs, and you starting twitching uncontrollably. We tried to pull you out, but you were really hot… to the touch, that is. It wasn't until Hermione starting casting spells that we got you out. And that's when we saw…" Ginny trailed off. She merely pointed at Harry's bandaged arm, slightly fearful.

Harry peered down at his arm. He clutched the bandages lightly with his left arm, and began fumbling with them.

"Harry, don't," Hermione said in a quiet voice. Harry ignored her and began unwrapping the dressings on his arm. It hurt every time his hand slipped, but Harry only winced and continued. Once he had gotten the bandages off, Harry's face widened in amazement and fear. A black scorch mark led up from Harry's index finger and crept all the way up his arm, ending just past his elbow.

Harry saw Ginny grimace out of the corner of his eye. Hermione took a step back, and Ron looked paler than usual. Harry continued to stare at it, not wondering whether to be scared, amazed, or an unusual combination of the two. As he continued to inspect it, Harry realized it was very similar to the mark Dumbledore had had on his arm at the beginning of the last term.

"So… Dumbledore didn't get the burn from the Horcrux. He got it… from the archway in the Department of Mysteries," Harry stated. This confused him. Dumbledore hadn't said anything about how he had destroyed the Horcrux, but he'd assumed that Dumbledore used a spell. _What if Dumbledore had destroyed the ring by putting it through the veil while it was on his finger? Or what if Dumbledore needed to ask for help too._

"I need to go back," Harry announced. Hermione gasped, Ginny stood up, and Ron shook his head.

"No way, mate. You're staying there and healing."

"It's not going to heal! Didn't you see Dumbledore's? His didn't heal, even up until his final hours he still had it. It's staying there for good. I need to go back and talk to Dumbledore." Ginny took a step forward.

"You didn't talk to anyone, Harry!" she said, sounding a little bit stronger.

"Yes I did," Harry said defiantly. "But we didn't _talk_. We thought. It was more like… we communicated through our thoughts."

"How can Dumbledore and Sirius have thoughts if they're dead?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged.

"I don't know, but that veil has to be a way to talk to the dead, to talk to the spirits that chose not to become ghosts." Hermione's eyes widened.

"Maybe that's why it burned your arm! By putting a part of your body into the arch, you partially crossed over into a sort of Dead World." At this suggestion, Ron raised an eyebrow.

"So does that mean Harry's a zombie? Or does he just have a zombie arm? Hey, Harry, why don't you see if you can do anything cool with your new zombie arm!" Ron said sarcastically.

"Ronald, hush! I'm being serious! Harry put his life in serious danger, there." Ron looked down at his hands and blushed slightly. Hermione shook her head and turned back to Harry. "You can't go back. You'll be risking too much. You've come close enough to death already."

"But Hermione, I haven't gotten all the information I need." Ginny stepped forward and looked down at Harry.

"No. You're done. I'm not losing you over your fret for a Horcrux. You can do without Sirius and Dumbledore's help. You're smart enough."

"Ginny, you don't understand!"

"No, Harry! I understand completely. What I _don't_ understand is why you have the constant urge to put yourself in danger of death. You don't _think_, Harry. You act on impulse." Harry opened his mouth to say something, but Ginny continued. "And sure, some of your impulses are a good thing, you need to take a step back more often. You rely too heavily upon your luck, Harry. One of these days, your luck will run out. You're smarter than you let yourself believe."

Harry sat there, looking dumbfounded. Now that he thought about it, a lot of the stuff he did was stupid and dangerous. _Going after Sirius when I had the vision, going into the Chamber of Secrets, going after the Sorcerer's Stone, destroying the Horcrux on the bus, putting his finger into the arch… ALL of it was on impulse, and ALL of it was more dangerous than anything most people have ever encountered._

Something had finally clicked in Harry's mind. He needed to stop relying completely on his urges and whims. While some of them turned out alright, Voldemort had already learned how to trick Harry into something because Harry had acted on impulse.

"I won't act entirely on impulse anymore," Harry vowed to Ginny. He reached out his good hand and laced his fingers between hers. Ginny's eyes watered a bit, though she didn't shed any tears. She leaned down and kissed Harry gently on the cheek.

---

Harry doodled boredly on his paper as Professor Flitwick spoke. As he concentrated on his doodle of a broomstick, Flitwick went on.

"So, on with today's lesson!" Flitwick turned around and scurried to the very front of the room. Harry looked up and leaned his head on his hand. "Today, we will be learning the Chink Charm. It's very useful if you need to crack something open! Now, repeat after me… _Fragorio_. Without wands please…"

"_Fragorio_," the class chanted together. Professor Flitwick beamed.

"Correct! Can anyone tell me the origin of this charm?" Before his question was even finished, Hermione's hand shot up into the air. "Ms. Granger?"

"_Fragorio_ was first used when Sir Mackellar of Scotland needed to add on rooms to his castle. Not being very good at constructive spells or transfiguration, he cracked holes in his walls to make the opening for the rooms!" Hermione smiled, looking very content with herself.

"Very good, Ms. Granger! 5 points to Gryffindor! Now, if you all get into groups of 4, you can collect some bricks from the back of the room and practice the Chink Charm."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione paired up with Neville and walked to the back of the room collecting their bricks. After they made their way back to their desks, they began practicing the spell. It was unexpectedly hard.

"_Fragorio_," Ron said clearly, thrusting his wand in the direction of his brick. Nothing happened. "_FRAGORIO_," Ron said louder, his voice louder than anyone else's in the room. Still nothing happened. "What is _wrong_ with this thing?" Ron questioned, tapping his wand against the desk. The desktop turned blue and Ron flushed a bright red color. Hermione giggled and changed the desk back to normal.

They continued practicing the spell, trying to crack their brick. No one seemed to be able to do it, not even Hermione. At one point, Neville had thought he cracked the brick, but he had actually hit the brick so hard when he tried casting the spell and a small chunk flew of and landed on the floor. As Ron tried once more, he ended up sending the brick flying up in the air, hitting Neville square in the forehead. Neville landed on the floor with a _clunk_, as did the brick.

"Oh Neville, I am so sorry!" Ron called out, bending over him. He had a square-shaped bruise just above his eyebrows. Professor Flitwick came over.

"Weasley, I believe you said the wrong spell. Did you by any chance say _Flagorio_?" Ron looked down at his feet and turned a fierce scarlet. "Well, Mr. Longbottom needs to be taken to the Hospital Wing. Tell Madame Pomfrey what happened." Ron helped Neville up and looked at Harry and Hermione.

"I'll… er… be back later." He shrugged at Harry, and then looked at Hermione. He grinned, embarrassed. He turned and left and Hermione quickly turned back to the brick. She began chanting the spell, to no avail. Harry noticed she was now blushing, and he smiled.

"And why are _you_ blushing?" Harry asked, staring at her. She kept her face down, looking at the brick.

"I'm… I'm not, what are you talking about?"

"Oh, I think you are," Harry said, fighting back his laughter. He reached out and lifted Hermione's face. She blushed even more.

"Oh, stop it," Hermione said, seeing Harry's face.

"Does Miney-Winey like Won-Won?" Harry asked in a baby voice, his face red from the strain of not laughing. Hermione blushed even redder, which Harry didn't think was possible.

"Stop," she whispered quietly, and hid her face as she pretended to look for something in her bag. Harry chuckled to himself, releasing some of his laughter so the strain wasn't so hard.

"Well I'm glad you two are finally at it," Harry said. "You've liked each other for years and it's _about time_," he said, grinning. Hermione lifted her had and looked at Harry, glaring at him.

"If you don't stop, I'm telling Ron about what you were _really_ doing the other night in that bathroom. Harry's face turned just as red as Hermione's. He stopped smiling.

"You wouldn't."

"Try me," Hermione said. Harry glared back at her and turned back to the brick.

"_Fragorio_!" he said angrily. A large crack split the brick in two.

---

Harry and Hermione walked down the corridor quietly, still not being able to speak to each other out of embarrassment. They reached the Great Hall for dinner and sat down at the Gryffindor table where Ron and Neville already were.

"Neville, your forehead looks much better!" Hermione noted happily. She flashed a daring look to Harry, warning him to say nothing to Ron.

"Yeah, Madam Pomfrey fixed it up really easily, but she let us wait there until class was over." Neville grinned widely and dug into his dinner. Harry helped himself to some barbeque chicken and corn as he looked up and around the Great Hall. He turned his head left and right, searching for Ginny, when she sat down next to him unexpectedly.

"Hey," she sighed, putting her bag at her feet. She kissed Harry lightly on the cheek as she grabbed for her own plate.

"How were classes?" Harry asked Ginny.

"Ugh. Dreadful… We got the same talk from every teacher about how we needed to focus on our studies, even though we weren't taking N.E.W.T.s until next year." Harry grinned at her, then took a bite of his chicken. Hermione turned to Ron.

"Harry managed to crack our brick," she said, trying to make conversation. Ron looked surprised.

"Oh! How did you do it?" Ron asked. Harry looked skeptically at Hermione.

"I… er… Hermione kicked me, so I was angry and it worked."

"Why did she kick you?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, um… I… kicked her first?" Harry said. Hermione shut her eyes and sighed, looking frustrated. Ginny shrugged and ate, not caring enough to press on further.

"Oh, by the way, congratulations on being made Head Girl, Hermione!" Ginny said excitedly. She grinned at Hermione who beamed back.

"I'm so excited!" Hermione said. "I even got my own room!" Harry smiled at Hermione, and then looked at Ron and winked, hinting.

After their stomachs were full, and people had begun to walk to their Common Rooms, Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione all agreed to go up. After they gave the Fat Lady the password ('Pixie Sparkle!'), they climbed through the hole and sat in a corner of the Common Room, since their favorite chairs by the fire were taken. Harry sat next to Ginny and Ron sat by them, next to Hermione. Harry told Ginny about what'd happened in Charms class, and Ginny giggled.

"Well, it's as you said. They've been flirting and stuff for years. It's about bloody time!" Harry grinned at Ginny as she agreed with him.

Ginny got up and walked over to Harry, sitting on the edge of his chair's arm. She leaned back and lay on Harry's lap, smiling. Harry grinned down at Ginny and swept a bit of red hair out of her face. He played with her hair for a while as she relaxed. Harry closed his eyes as she cuddled up closer to him. After a while, Harry and Ginny were flirting dangerously, obviously both having the same thing on their mind.

Right as Harry was about to pretend to be tired, Hermione stood up.

"Well, I think I'll turn in for the night," she said. She glanced at Ron, who stood up as well.

"I'll walk you to your room!" he said a bit too excitedly. They hurried up the stairs to Hermione's room. Harry grinned at Ginny. They followed suit, but ran up a separate staircase to the boys' dormitories. Harry walked in and checked that no one was there before he and Ginny entered. Before shutting the door, he placed a tie on the handle. He shut the door and ran over to his bed where Ginny was already laying down. She grinned up at him.

Harry climbed onto hi bead and lay on top of Ginny. He kissed her passionately, closing his eyes. As he felt Ginny push closer into him, he opened his mouth and allowed Ginny's tongue to slide between his lips. He put his arms on her waist as he pulled her closer into the kiss. Harry tugged on her pants as he kissed her. Acknowledging him, she slid her pants off and kicked them somewhere across the room. She then lifted Harry's shirt over his head, breaking the kiss momentarily to take his shirt off. She flung it somewhere.

Harry felt the cool air brush against his bare skin. The kiss progressed after Harry lifted Ginny's shirt off of her. He pushed up against her, feeling the warmth and radiance from her skin rub against his own. Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and played with Harry's toes, using her own. Ginny broke the kiss, panting. She turned Harry over and straddled him. She unbuttoned his pants and pulled down the zipper slowly. She slid his pants off and let them drop next to the bed.

Ginny eyed Harry's arousal with interest. She smiled and reached behind her back and undid the clasp to her bra, letting herself fall out. She heard Harry's breathing grow irregular. She bent down and pressed her chest up against Harry's, kissing him passionately. She broke the kiss and began trailing her tongue down Harry's collar bone. Harry inhaled sharply as warm chills shot down his spine. Ginny trailed kisses down Harry's chest and stomach, stopping right at his boxers. She slid them off him gently and took him in her hands, stroking him gently. Harry moaned and rocked his head back.

Ginny grinned at Harry seductively and bent over, taking him in her mouth. She closed her eyes and began moving her head up and down. Harry moaned, grabbing the sheets in pleasure. Suddenly the door opened. Someone was laughing. Harry's eyes widened.

"Harry d'you know that some idiot left a _tie _on the doorkno-" Ron's eyes widened with shock. Ginny whirled around and faced her brother. They sat there staring at each other for a second, both shocked beyond all reason. Then they screamed. Harry made a mad dash under the sheets, clutching them around his body. Ginny tried to cover her chest with the sheets as well, but Harry already had them all.

Ron stammered as he tried to walk away. He didn't know whether to run, walk, or faint. As he began to move, Ginny ran to the floor and grabbed Harry's pants that lay by the bed. As she covered up her chest with the pants, Ron tripped over her, falling on top of his mostly-naked sister. They both screamed even louder, and Ron tore from the room faster than Harry had ever seen him move. Harry and Ginny lay there panting, eyes wide with shock and fear, Ginny ran to the door and closed it, locking it as well.

-------------------------------

**Authors' Note**:

_Nora_: Okay, possibly our favorite chapter so far. We had SO much fun writing this, we hope you enjoy it as much as we do! There's lots of random humor, and the "behind the scenes" was even funnier...

_Sean_: If you don't get it, too bad. Sean and Nora do.

_ AIM BRAINSTORMING:_

Nora: can we do a hermione/ron and it be all dominatrix like? lol  
Nora: "erm... ginny... can you please take that out, i'd like to go to sleep now..."  
Sean: and ron can just trip coz hes ron and can get a mouthful of booby  
Nora: omg and then dean can wake up, and be like wtf, i hate you harry  
Sean: and harry can laugh and be like I'm boning your ex  
Nora: maybe just his head wedged between them i think

Sean: chapter 11: Fun and Furry.  
Nora: haha furry... polyjuice cat  
Sean: noo, fury, lol, like anger  
Nora: i know, but u said furry  
Sean: shush

Sean: what is harry doodling?  
Sean: pick something -waits impatiently-  
Nora: hand turkey… that looks like ginny  
Nora: i always do hand turkeys lol  
Sean: ...  
Sean: broomstick it is!

Nora: HAHAHA bathroom...  
Sean: I KNOW  
Sean: guess what he was doing  
Nora: well, unless he was playing w/ harry jr., idn… that's what i was thinking  
Sean: mhm D

Sean: I need a password  
Sean: i was capping/uncapping my highlighter and i was like HIGHLIGHTER IS THE PASS  
Sean: AHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Sean: what do you think?  
Sean: ... NORA  
Sean: DONT MAKE ME CALL YOU  
Sean: ARGH YOUR PHONE IS OFF  
Sean: god DAMN woman

Nora: life lesson... never shave over blisters or bug bites

Needless to say, Sean and Nora think this is their best chapter yet. Hope you enjoyed! REVIEWS ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED.


	12. The Barnacle Tree

**HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR**

**Summary:** Harry Potter has returned from Hogwarts and has wasted no time in his search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Against the wishes of his friends, he goes off alone. Will Harry win the fight against Voldemort?

**Rated:** M for violence, language, and sex

**Disclaimer:** Roses are red,  
Violets are blue.  
I don't own Harry Potter,  
And neither do you.

**Chapter 12: The Barnacle Tree.**

-----------------------------------------

Harry awoke slowly and yawned. He still had his glasses on his face. Harry blinked and saw that his arms were wrapped around someone in front of him as he lay under the covers. He snaked his arms from around their waist and peered over their shoulder. It was Ginny. Harry sighed with ease, and thought that he'd been stupid to think it was someone else. He brushed a bit of hair out of her face and watcher her as she slept. She looked so peaceful, so relaxed. Harry Snuggled up closer to Ginny and watched her intently as her chest moved up and down slowly. Harry noticed she wasn't wearing any clothes. This slightly aroused Harry, until he shot himself down, thinking, _Harry! Just because a girl's got her clothes off doesn't mean you're getting any!_ After another few minutes, Ginny woke up and smiled at Harry.

"Hello, Mr. Potter," Ginny said, smiling. She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the nose.

"Did you sleep well?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded her head.

"Yes. Did you?" Harry grinned and nodded. The chaos from last night hadn't seemed to affect Ginny's sleep at all. Harry wondered how she'd act when she was confronted by her brother. Harry looked over at Ron's bed and saw he wasn't there. He sighed. Harry didn't know what'd be worse than Ron waking up to Harry and Ginny naked in bed, holding each other.

Harry turned back to Ginny and kissed her passionately before getting up to shower and get dressed. Harry emerged from the bathroom, steam leaking out behind him, with a towel wrapped around his waist. He made his way over to his trunk to get dressed as Ginny came up to him and winked at him, grinning. Harry slid his hands around Ginny's waist as he brought her in for a deep kiss. He dipped her back, causing her to leave herself totally under Harry's control. Harry broke the kiss and brought Ginny back up to her feet and smiled at her romantically. He dressed in his school robes as he waited for her to get out of the shower.

After Harry had dressed, and Ginny had dressed, put on her makeup, did her hair, checked herself in the mirror for 10 minutes, and fussed with her eyeliner, the pair made their way down to the Great Hall. As they approached the Gryffindor table, Ginny saw Ron eating with Hermione. Immediately, she walked past them and down to the other end of the table, blushing as red as her hair. Harry sat next to Ginny and watched as she hid her face in her hands.

"Um, Ginny… Why are we sitting down here?" Harry asked. Ginny answered through the hands that were covering her face.

"Nothing. Just eat." Harry raised an eyebrow at Ginny, but figured she was too embarrassed to be near Ron. After all, he _had_ laid on his naked sister last night. Harry looked up at his two friends, and saw Hermione peering down the table at him. Ron was next to her and had his face in his hands, just as Ginny did. Hermione looked at Harry confused. Ron must not have told her what had happened the night before. Harry rolled his eyes and shot her a look as if to say 'I'll tell you later…'

Harry sighed and ate some eggs. After breakfast, he kissed Ginny and told her goodbye. He met up with Ron and Hermione as they exited for their classes.

"Ugh," Ron groaned. "Double Herbology. Why can't we ever seem to get good schedules?"

"Try having photography AND fine arts," said some brown-haired kid behind them. A short girl next to him nodded.

"Try getting scheduled for an SAT course!" she said, flustered. The two walked off, leaving Harry, Ron, and Hermione utterly confused as they made their way out to the greenhouses. As they reached the greenhouses, Professor Sprout stood outside, beaming at the Gryffindor's and Hufflepuff's.

"Welcome, welcome students! I hope you al find this year to be extremely fun and interesting! This year we'll be in Greenhouse 3!" She walked of into the greenhouse and the class followed. As they all took their places at tables, Sprout smiled from the top of the room, and adjusted her pointed hat.

"So! For most of this term, we'll be studying the Barnacle Tree! Can anyone tell me about the Barnacle Tree?" Straight away, Hermione shot her hand up in the air and Professor Sprout called on her.

"The Barnacle Tree is a myth dating back to before the 13th century. It has been publicly denounced and supported ever since. It is said to be like a large tree that has clam-like pods on the ends of its branches. When the pods bloom, they reveal geese hanging by their bills from the trees."

"Very good, Hermione! Ten points to Gryffindor for your _brilliant_ summarization. However, the Barnacle Tree is not a myth." A small murmur of whispered voices grew from the students. "It is in fact, real, and we will be studying them. However, we can't study them here. They grow only by the edge of the sea. I've had to go through a lot of trouble to show you these amazing plants, so please! _No messing around_."

Sprout walked throughout the greenhouse, handing each student a green straw. She held one herself as she made her way back up to the front.

"What you hold in your hand is a Populous Portkey. It allows people to use a Portkey as a manner of transportation, without al the crowding around to touch the same object. Now, if you'll all grasp your straw firmly in hand, we'll be off." Professor Sprout touched her wand to her own straw, and Harry felt an immediate jerk from behind his navel. He sped through colors and harsh wind until he came to an abrupt stop. He blinked stupidly and watched as other people around him popped in with small flashes of light. Professor Sprout popped in a second later. She scanned her class before continuing.

"Good! So, here we are. We're on the coast of an uninhabited island. If you'll all follow me…" she trailed off, and began walking along the beach toward the water. Harry, at once, saw three large trees standing right by the water, towering over all the other shrubbery on the beach. Each tree was a good 30 feet tall, and had thick branches sprouting out every which way. At the end of each branch was a brown pod, about 3 feet wide and 4 feet tall. As Harry continued to survey the trees, he realized some of the pods were cracked open slightly. It wasn't until he was directly under one tree that he could see a foot protruding from the bloom of the pod.

"As you can see, the trees aren't bloomed yet, though some of the pods have begun to open. Each week, we'll come back to learn about these trees, studying them in depth from their colors to what music makes them the happiest. Now, if you'll all divide up into three groups, we'll take a good look around the trees. Please, no climbing them, as they might kick you off."

Harry, Hermione, and Ron got into a group with Dean, Neville, Seamus, Parvati, Lavender, and a random Hufflepuff boy Harry had never seen before. They all gathered around the center tree.

"Oooooh!" Parvati and Lavender exclaimed, pointing at a pod that looked as if it had bloomed prematurely. Hermione gazed up at the tree, amazed.

"I don't see what's so interesting… It's only a tree with pods, so far." Hermione shushed him.

"Ron, this is amazing! These geese that come off the tree aren't animals, they're classified as fruit! They're not fauna, they are _flora_," Hermione said, her eyes wide with excitement. Harry shrugged at Ron.

"They look dreadfully _stupid_, if you ask me," Harry whispered to him. Ron nodded and chuckled under his breath. They continued examining the tree, pointing out things to Professor Sprout each time she came around. When they Portkeyed home, she assigned them all to start a journal of all the things they noticed while examining the tree, and too bring it to class next time.

--------------------------

**Authors' Note:**

_Sean: _Yes, Sean and Nora are aware that this was dreadfully short, but it contained a few funny bits and served as an outlet for Sean's creativity, paired with his weird Google obsession.

_Nora:_ You can read about the Barnacle Tree if you Google it.

_REAL Nora:_ ...Sean's just weird...

**AIM Brainstorming Moment of the Chapter: **

Sean: hah i was like  
Sean: hmm… 'many'…  
Sean: starts with P  
Sean: need a name, need a name...  
Sean: POPULOUS  
Sean: and i did it all without a thesaurus to boot... XD  
Nora: niccee

Review **please**!


	13. The Smokey Serpent

**HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR**

**Summary:** Harry Potter has returned from Hogwarts and has wasted no time in his search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Against the wishes of his friends, he goes off alone. Will Harry win the fight against Voldemort?

**Rated:** M for violence, language, and sex

**Disclaimer:** Roses are red,  
Violets are blue.  
I don't own Harry Potter,  
And neither do you.

**Chapter 13: The Smokey Serpent.**

-----------------------------------------

Harry shuddered as cold tingles shot up his spine. After the feeling subsided, he continued eating his warm porridge. It was an unusually cold morning for the beginning of Autumn, and Harry's warm breakfast wasn't aiding his lack of heat. Ginny sat across from Harry eating her own breakfast. She looked very tired, and her head kept drooping every few minutes as Ginny fought off the urge to sleep. Hermione was next to her. She looked the most awake out of the three, and Harry couldn't imagine why. Ron hadn't come to breakfast yet. He'd kicked Harry in the side when Harry attempted to awake him. Feeling angered, Harry made his way down to breakfast without his best friend.

Harry blinked stupidly and glanced at a clock. It was 15 minutes until he, Hermione, and Ron had to go to Potions. Slughorn was still teaching at Hogwarts, much to Harry's dismay. With 5 minutes to go, Harry and Hermione bade Ginny farewell and went into the dungeons. Upon entering Slughorn's classroom, Ron joined them, rubbing the slumber from his eyes.

"Morning," Ron yawned tiredly as they walked over to the back of the room to a table.

"Good morning all, and welcome back to Advanced Potions! This year we'll continue with our studies. Today, we're going to go over a new potion you all have never seen or heard of before. It is called _Condutious Nevroso_." Slughorn looked around the classroom, smiling brightly as he watched his students' faces contort in confusion. "It is a potion meant to cause the drinker a tortuous amount of nervousness, and can eventually cause involuntary twitching. It is used sparingly by the Ministry of Magic, since it is dangerous, but it was not uncommon for it to be used as a way of torturing information out of Death Eaters held captive in Azkaban."

Harry stared blankly as Slughorn continued to explain about the potion. Apparently, its effects only occurred when ingested, and that a few of the smallest drops could cause the drinker to begin feverish sweating. There was a weird sense of humor in his voice. Harry hoped that Slughorn wasn't planning to use the potion on the students, as Snape had always threatened. Harry didn't know what he might blurt out in that much nervousness. He could imagine the heat on his head, and the flush color of his face, as he would be sweating. Harry realized that just _thinking_ about the potion was making him nervous.

"So," continued Slughorn, "you'll all be making the potion today. Please take out your books and turn to page 492. You'll have 80 minutes. Go." Slughorn retreated to behind his desk and sat down with a look of mild interest on his face, as if watching the class make the potion was like watching a game of Muggle soccer. Harry reached into his bag and pulled out his book, having already set up his cauldron and supplies during the longwinded speech Slughorn had given.

As Harry opened the book, he felt his stomach plummet to his feet. It had just occurred to him that he no longer had the Half-Blood prince's book. While he had gone back to retrieve it, Ginny had forced him to destroy the book, afraid of any other mysteries it might hold. She wasn't too keen on trusting books very much since her first year.

Harry turned to the page and began looking over the instructions. He followed them to his best ability, and even read each line twice to assure himself that he was fully aware of what he was doing. However, after 40 minutes had passed, his cauldron wasn't bubbling, nor was it a clear color. It looked like Harry had taken his cauldron and filled it with murky water from a dirty lake. Also, the slop was just sitting in his cauldron, no matter what Harry did to it. It wouldn't simmer, bubble, or even boil. The only time the thick liquid ever moved was when Harry stirred it.

After the allotted time had passed, Slughorn looked at Hermione's and smiled happily, congratulating her on her great potion. He raised an eyebrow upon seeing Ron's green cement-like mixture, but passed him on, reaching Harry. He stared, dumbfounded, into Harry's cauldron. He then turned his gaze up at Harry, and leaned closer to him. His face was a mere foot away from Harry's.

"Harry," Slughorn said quietly, "I am aware that your ongoing battle with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is taking up much of your time, though I am shocked to find how it has affected your schoolwork." Harry looked dead into Slughorn's eyes, not believing that people could be this stupid.

"I'm sorry Professor," Harry finally said, unable to come up with anything else to say. "I'll try harder."

"Good boy. This assignment won't affect your grade." Slughorn nodded and smiled at Harry, pulling his face away from Harry's. He continued around the room and Harry sighed awkwardly. He glanced over at Hermione, who seemed to be red as can be. Harry thought that steam might pour out of her ears if one thing was said to her, so he said nothing.

Later in the hallway, Hermione was still fuming. She hadn't said a word since Harry had been excused from the assignment, and hadn't lost any of the enraged color in her face. Harry sighed and looked down at his shoes as he walked between Hermione and Ron, amazed Hermione would allow herself to be so close to him. Harry decided to attempt to break the barrier.

"Hermione, I-"

"No," Hermione said plainly, rejecting Harry's effort to forgive and forget.

"But Hermione, it's not my fault! Slughorn's just being the usual fame-seeking whale-of-a-prat he always is!" Harry looked up at Hermione. The bright color in her face was fading slightly.

"I know, Harry," Hermione said quietly. She seemed to be struggling to talk. "I just…" she let herself trail off.

"You just what?" Ron piped up. Apparently, he now cared, probably because it was affecting Hermione.

"I CANNOT BELIEVE HIM!" Hermione finally shouted, scaring 3 first-years who were passing by them. "He judged everyone in that classroom up against Harry's OLD standard's, which were affected by a book that he shouldn't have had anyway, and then he walked up to Harry and didn't even grade him on the assignment, even though Harry obviously hadn't come CLOSE to achieving the right potion and its effects, and-"

"Hermione," Ron interrupted, blushing slightly.

"WHAT?" she bellowed, stopping in her tracks and glaring at Ron, who blushed even redder.

"You're rambling," he said quietly, looking down at his shoes. Hermione stared at Ron for a moment. The angry expression faded from her face as her fury drained.

"I'm sorry," she said plainly. She looked at Harry. "You too, I'm sorry. It's not your fault, really. Well it kind of is… But whatever." She began walking towards the Great Hall once more and Harry and Ron followed her.

Once they'd eaten and relaxed, Harry consulted his schedule. They had a free period to do some extra studying right after lunch. He put the schedule back in his bag and sighed. Normally he'd be happy that he had time to relax around the Common Room, but he actually had to do work this time. Harry still hadn't started the journal for Professor Sprout, and he had Herbology right after the free period. He also had to practice _Fragorio_ for Flitwick. Harry hadn't been able to do the spell at all in class, and the one time he tried practicing for homework, the brick only rolled over on its side.

Harry stood up and walked to the library with Hermione and Ron after lunch. He sat at a table towards the back with them and sighed, shutting his eyes as if in anguish. He didn't want to do work. It wasn't even a week into the school year and already Harry's head was throbbing with tons of information. He also needed to focus on the Horcruxes more. As Harry opened his eyes, he smiled brightly. Standing in front of him, Hermione, and Ron was Ginny.

"Ginny, what are you doing here?" Harry asked excitedly, standing up and walking over to her. Ginny smiled at him and took his hand in hers.

"I have free periods too, you know," she said grinning at Harry. "How was your class?" she asked. Harry glanced over at Hermione and saw her turn pink. He did the same.

"Erm… Not so great…" Ginny cocked her head to the side, inviting elaboration, though none came. Eventually she gave up and sat next to Harry, pulling out her work. Harry sighed and reached into his bag as well, pulling out the brick he was trying to crack for Charms. Harry pulled his wand from his pocket and concentrated hard on the brick. _Fragorio_, he thought in his head, imagining the brick splitting. _Fragorio_, he thought again, hearing the word echo in his head. He wanted the brick to split. He needed the brick to split.

"_FRAGORIO_!" Harry shouting, completely forgetting he was in the library. No crack split down the side of the brick, but Harry's eyes shot open all the same. Madam Pince's shriveled, vulture-like face shot around the corner of a bookcase. Her eyes were glaring into Harry's face with such anger, Harry thought it was amazing she hadn't killed him. Madam Pince walked over to Harry.

"SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she bellowed, and then walked away, flustered. Harry's eyes remained shot open. He turned to look at Ginny.

"Harry, she's gone now, you don't have to look so shocked." However, Harry continued to look the way he did. _What if_, he thought to himself,_ a normal, everyday spell could be used on…_

Harry stood up and walked over to Hermione. "Give me the sword!" he hissed quietly through clenched teeth. Hermione merely turned pink and stared up at Harry, confused. "Give it to me, _now_," Harry said, still whispering.

"Harry," Hermione whispered back, leaning in closer to him, "I'm not giving it back to you unless you figure out how to destroy it _properly_." Harry's eyes narrowed as he stared at Hermione.

"I _have_ figured it out, now give it to me!" Hermione raised an eyebrow at him and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms.

"Have you, then? How?"

"Fragorio," Harry stated plainly. Hermione's eyes narrowed and her mouth moved silently, as she normally did when she was thinking hard. Finally her face returned to normal.

"It might work," she said quietly, but nervously. She didn't want to give it to him, obviously, but his idea might actually be right. Harry held his hand out towards Hermione, his palm stretched out wide. Hermione stared at Harry's outstretched hand for a moment, before finally sighing in defeat.

"Fine," she stated, and then she began blushing. Harry eyed her suspiciously.

"What?" he asked impatiently, shaking his hand in midair. Hermione blushed even redder, then muttered something that sounded very much like 'Turn around.'

"Excuse me?" Harry repeated, blushing slightly himself. Before he could question Hermione any further she quickly pulled on the collar of her robes and shoved her hand down her front, groping something for a second. Harry's eyes widened in shock as Hermione pulled the shrunken sword from her chest under her robe, her face as red as a tomato. Hermione held it out to Harry, but Harry didn't take it. In fact, he retracted his hand quickly, looking shocked.

"What the hell?" he said quickly, expecting a response. Hermione just stared down at her knees.

"Well, I… I didn't want you getting to the sword unless you f-figured out how to destroy it, and I thought it'd be the last place you'd think to look, so I just-"

"HERMIONE!" called Ron's voice from behind Harry. He was just as shocked as Harry was. "What the bloody hell kind of excuse is that for hiding a Horcrux between your cleavage?" Hermione turned even redder, and Harry heard Ginny's slight giggle from behind him. Hermione shook the sword in midair once more and waited for Harry to take it.

"Go on, Harry, she doesn't have sweaty boobs," Ginny said, giggling madly. Harry turned to see Ron glaring furiously down at Ginny, who was still sitting in her chair, laughing. She looked back up at Ron, grinning. "Well you would know better than any of us, wouldn't you?" Ron's ears turned bright red.

"Shut up!" Harry said angrily at the both of them. He whirled around and took the sword from Hermione's hand and began walking towards the front of the library with no explanation to his friends.

"Harry, wait!" Hermione called from behind him. Ignoring her, he exited the library and started walking down a corridor toward a staircase. "HARRY!" Hermione's voice called once more. Before Harry could answer her, he felt the back of his robes being tugged hard. Harry stopped in his tracks and turned to face Hermione, bright red and panting.

"What?" he asked, trying not to sound annoyed, though he was. Hermione glared at him.

"You're not doing this without us! You're not going to run off like last time and just leave us confused! We're with you in this, Harry. This isn't The Harry Potter Story, this is real life!" Behind her, Ron raised an eyebrow and Ginny grinned as if she knew something Hermione didn't.

"Fine. I'm going to the Room of Requirement," Harry said plainly, and waited for Hermione to ask why.

"Why?" Hermione asked, sounding as if they were discussing an interesting book theory.

"Because I can't think of a place that's well equipped for a huge explosion. There's the Knight Bus, but I doubt that Ernie will ever let us on there again." Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "Any more questions?" Hermione shook her head, slightly embarrassed, and followed after Harry as he climbed 3 staircases and went down the familiar route to the Room of Requirement. They walked past the blank area of wall across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Balmy 3 times, concentrating hard on needing a place to destroy a Horcrux.

After the third attempt, a door appeared, and Harry immediately ran to the door and flung it open. He stared into nothing as he tried to look at what was behind the door. It looked as if someone had taken a large canvas and had painted it all black. As Harry gazed into the vast amounts of nothing, he noticed small, white orbs of light floating around the black, open space. The small orbs of light gave the area its depth. Harry took a step into the room and instantaneously began falling. There was no floor, nothing to catch his step. He continued to fall slowly until he slowed to a stop inside the vast nothingness. He looked up, but couldn't see the door from which he had entered. Suddenly, from out of the black, mysterious sky, a shouting Ron, screaming Hermione, and flailing Ginny fell into the open plain, each slowing to a halt at different intervals.

Harry looked down at the sword in his palm and enlarged it to its normal size. He held it firmly in his hand, inspecting it. Suddenly he threw it out into the blackness, though it didn't disappear. The sword stopped and hovered on its side between the makeshift circle that Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron had unknowingly formed. Harry held his wand out, feeling his energy rising. He felt the magic soar through his body everywhere from his eyes, to his fingertips, and down his legs as he shouted with the most meaning he'd ever felt in his life, "_FRAGORIO!_"

Suddenly the sword lurched upwards, pointing up to the black space above Harry and his friends. A short beam of light soared from the tip of Harry's wand and faded away as it hit the sword. The sword glowed brightly for a second before a bright shaft of light erupted from the tip of the sword and soared upwards, continuing into the nothingness above. The letters that spelled out Godric Gryffindor's name blared with red color as the beam was shot upward. Slowly the beam spread down the side of the sword as a loud and slow cracking noise was heard, echoing around the vast space around Harry. The floating white orbs that faintly lit the space all began to stand still in their places, as if watching what was going on with the sword, or as if paying their respects to the large event of significance happening.

The sword began glowing once again as the ray of light stopped going down the side of the sword, and the cracking noise subsided. As the glowing reached a massive and dangerous-looking point, the area between the sword and the people around it filled with light. A huge, bright blast of energy shot from the sword pushing its way outward. A huge, inexplicable noise was heard, immersing all of Harry's thoughts and hearing. As it grew nearer and nearer to Harry, his face opened wide with shock. The wave reached him as a cold feeling washed over him. The light looked warm, though as it immersed his body, a painful chill grew over him. Shooting chills shot up his spine to his head as he shot his head backward abruptly. The feeling slowly faded away as the energy continued past him, continuing into the nothingness, leaving him for good.

Harry turned his gaze back to the sword. The loud noise was gone, and Harry could hear nothing. He furrowed his brow in confusion as he focused on the weapon between him and his friends. It was no longer glowing. A small, barely audible hissing noise came from the sword as steam and smoke erupted from the crack in the sword where the light had once been. The steam and smoke raised several above the sword until it began swirling in unusual patterns. They came together and Harry watched in amazement as a large lion was shaped far above his head. It had to be at least 10 feet wide and 25 feet long. The lion let out a loud, threatening roar that echoed in Harry's ears. As soon as the hissing noise of the smoke and steam had stopped, it had begun again. More gasses were coming erupting from the crack in the sword, and were swirling and forming together just as had happened with the lion.

A large, twisting snake was formed, just as large as the lion, above them. It let out a large hiss as its smoky tongue flitted outside its mouth. The lion reared on its hind legs, and growled, lurching forward and attacking the snake. The snake twisted its body and moved out of the way, snapping at the heels of the lion as it ran by. The lion turned itself around and ran faster at the snake, quickly changing his direction as the snake did, and scratched the snake hard with its front claws. The snake hissed loudly in pain, and twisted his tail around, hitting the lion hard in the side. The lion fell back a few feet before regaining its balance. It roared angrily and ran at the snake again. The snake quickly curled its body, forming a circle. As the lion went to jump through the circle, the snake quickly contracted its body, grasping the lion tightly around the middle. The lion howled in pain and tried to escape. The snake stopped him from escaping, and continued to grip its opponent even harder. The lion snarled as it flailed its limbs, trying to scratch or harm the snake in any way possible.

When the lion's strength began fading, and it looked as if the snake would win, a familiar cry echoed around the black plain. Harry's body warmed slightly as a red bird soared into view, continuing to fly up toward the large animals. Fawkes cried angrily once more, and flung its body at the snake, scratching it hard on the middle. The snake leered at Fawkes angrily, twisting his neck round to follow Fawkes as he flew around the fight. Fawkes flung itself angrily at the snake once more, scratching him even harder than before. The snake writhed in pain and hurled its tail at Fawkes, but missing. Fawkes took advantage of the snake's open spots and opened his mouth angrily. Instead of issuing another cry, fire sprouted from the bird's mouth and shot at the snake in 3 different places, igniting the snake's smoky skin. The lion scratched the snake angrily and jumped from his hold as the snake coiled and intertwined everywhere in pain. The lion scratched the snake once more, but it was pointless. There were now holes in the snake where the fire had been shot, and the holes were growing bigger and bigger by the second. A few seconds later, the snake was gone, having dissipated into the air, eaten up by the fire.

Harry watched as the lion roared in triumph and dissolved back into the crack of the sword. Fawkes glided down to the sword and hovered by it. Harry craned his neck forward and watched as Fawkes let a few tears drop onto the sword. Another small hissing noise was heard as the crack sealed itself up the side of the sword. A quick shaft of light was issued from the sword. The beam faded away into the darkness and the sword lowered onto its side slowly, hovering in midair gently.

Harry looked over at his friends and saw that they all had the same expression on his face that he did. All had wide eyes, open mouths, and shocked expressions on their faces. Fawkes soared out of sight, and the orbs began moving again slowly.

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**Authors' Note:**

_Sean:_ Sean wants to apologize for the extreme lateness of this chapter. But in his defense, it IS the end of summer, and his social life is growing, and he went to the BEST party the other night that he knows you don't care about. He hopes you'll forgive and forget, and enjoy this chapter.

_Nora:_ Nora was away a few times and at parties and such as well... so between all that, isn't this a DAMN spiffy chapter that we finally got together?

_Sean:_ Sean wants to comment about how he thinks it's funny Nora has began to speak in the third person as well. Muhahahaha!

R&R! Please?


	14. Revenge

**HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR**

**Summary:** Harry Potter has returned from Hogwarts and has wasted no time in his search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Against the wishes of his friends, he goes off alone. Will Harry win the fight against Voldemort?

**Rated:** M for violence, language, and sex

**Disclaimer:** Roses are red,  
Violets are blue.  
I don't own Harry Potter,  
And neither do you.

**Chapter 14: Revenge**

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Harry stared at the sword in amazement as it hovered between him and his companions. The glowing letters had faded to their typical silver color. It now rested on its side as if nothing had happened. Harry was the first to speak.

"What…?" he trailed off.

"…just…" Ron added onto Harry's statement.

"…happened?" Hermione finished, completing the sentence. Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"You three finish each other's sentences now?" she asked, receiving incredulous looks from the other three.

"Were you temporarily _brain dead_ five seconds ago, Ginny? Or do you just not care that the coolest bloody thing happened right in front of your nose?" Ron asked, unbelievably.

"Wow, Ron. _Someone_ needs a nap…" Ginny said, smirking.

"Would you two hush up?" Hermione asked impatiently. "We've got more important things to be doing now!"

"Like what?" Ginny asked. "If anything, I think Harry deserves a break."

"Well yeah, he does, but I doubt he wants to hang out floating in the middle of nowhere!" Hermione snapped back. Ginny glared at Hermione momentarily, then turned to Harry.

"Any ideas?" she asked simply. Harry shook his head, still unable to utter a word. The fact that he'd successfully managed to destroy a Horcrux the correct way was unbelievable. He also assumed he knew how to destroy future Horcruxes, though now that he thought about it, there weren't many Horcruxes left. Only the real locket, Nagini, and Voldemort, himself, remained.

_Oh god. Oh god. Ohhhh god_, Harry thought. The prospect of Harry having to fight Voldemort was not something Harry had planned on doing for a while. Sure, he knew he'd have to do it sometime, but Harry hadn't realized how soon his worst fears would become reality. In fact, Harry didn't even know how he would be able to defeat and destroy Voldemort once and for all. Would _Avada Kedavra_ even work? Would Harry have enough hate in his heart in order to follow through with the spell? He had no idea. But for the time being, he'd have to focus on getting out of wherever it was that he and his friends were floating.

"Well… what if we tried to Disapparate?" Hermione suggested to the others. Harry nodded. He looked around for Ginny and noticed she was about 20 feet away from him. Harry held his wand out towards Ginny.

"_Accio Ginny_," he said simply. Ginny began a slow trip over to Harry, which ended when she grabbed his hand comfortingly.

"Are you alright?" she whispered gently into his ear. Harry turned to face her and smiled lightly.

"Yeah, I guess. Just kind of…"

"In shock," Ginny stated. Ron smirked from afar, and Hermione grinned.

"Look who's finishing sentences _now_!" she said. Ginny made a rude hand gesture at her and turned back to Harry.

"Harry… why were you able to do it to the sword but not to the brick?" Ginny asked.

"I… don't know. I kind of just felt this huge feeling of hatred mixed with fear and… bravery? I'm really not sure, I just had this sense of understanding, like I knew I could do this right now. Does that make any sense?"

"None," Ginny said smirking. She kissed Harry's cheek. "But I understood it, so I guess we're both going mad." She winked at Harry and grasped his arm. Hermione took the cue and closed her eyes in concentration.

Harry followed suit and took a large breath. He was still not fully accustomed to Apparating. Harry felt his body tense up a little bit as he went to turn on his heel. But Harry did not turn on his heel. Neither did Hermione, nor did Ron. In fact, anyone who was in their situation wouldn't have been able to turn on his or her heel, as there was nothing under the heel on which to turn. Instead of turning and Disapparating, Harry felt himself flail his leg out in midair. A bit shocked, he opened his eyes to see if Hermione or Ron had been able to Disapparate. Hermione was floating, shocked that her plan hadn't worked, and Ron was thrashing all of his limbs about grunting every few seconds, as if trying extremely hard to turn on nothing. Ron began to whine.

"Why isn't it workiiing?" he asked, finally opening his eyes. Harry couldn't help but smile at him for a bit, but then refocused himself.

"How are we getting out of here?" Harry asked his friends.

"I… I don't know. How else can we transport ourselves besides Disapparating?" Hermione asked.

"Well… What had other witches and wizards done instead of Apparating?" Ron asked. Harry thought hard to himself. He'd ridden thestrals before. He'd also seen wizards travel by floo powder. But what could transport him? Were there any more animals who could-

"THAT'S IT!" Harry shouted a bit too loudly. He received questioning looks from Hermione and Ginny, so he elaborated. "FAWKES!" Hermione's face lit up, while Ginny just smiled. Ron wasn't as understanding.

"What about him?" Ron asked, not seeing the connection.

"Ron, Fawkes can transport things using that flame thing he does!" Ginny said. For a second it looked as if Hermione was going to correct Ginny, but she let it go.

"How do we call him?" she asked Harry.

"I think he only comes when his owner's been shown a lot of respect. Last time I called him, I was defending Dumbledore against Tom," Harry stated.

"So… try it, Harry. Tell me all about Dumbledore and how awesome he is," Ginny said, smirking.

"Urm… okay then. Uh… Dumbledore was a great man. He, er, was the best sorcerer in the world and was the one thing that could defeat Voldemort."

"Harry, that is so stupid! That's not defending him, or reverence of him, it's just ranting off his accomplishments!" Hermione cried.

"Hermione! _Lay off_! Harry's doing the best he can, but you can't expect him to be an expert at calling some bird! He's just stuck in this position!" Ginny lashed out, defending Harry. Right as Ginny went to continue, Harry heard a loud cry. It was a beautiful cry, and consisted of one long, wavering note. Warmth began at Harry's feet and traveled up his body. It was out of the corner of his eye that Harry first saw the bird.

The red-and-gold-feathered bird came soaring through the darkness toward the group. He hovered between them for a second, ruffling his feathers. After a few twitches, 4 feathers fell from his back, enough for one per person. After Harry had caught his, he noticed that everyone else had one as well. The feather shone of bright red with small glitter-like specs on it.

Suddenly the feather broke out in flame. As Harry went to drop it, he thought twice. This was what was going to transport him back to the world he and his friends knew. Harry grasped the feather and shut his eyes. He felt a rush of air coming from behind him, and even through closed eyes, Harry could tell there was a very bright light coming from his right. Harry suddenly lurched forward and fell face-forward onto the floor.

"YES! FINALLY!" Ron shouted. He then kissed the ground, while Hermione yelled at him to get-up-right-this-instant-or-you'll-be-sorry. Harry helped Ginny up as they smirked at Ron, who was now red in the face and getting an ear-load from Hermione about what she liked to call his 'total disregard for social acceptability within the confines of blah blahh blahhhhhhhh.' Harry gave Ginny a small kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks," he whispered into her ear. Hermione looked at them.

"Wait a second. Why did Fawkes come when Ginny defended _Harry_? I thought Fawkes belonged to Dumbledore," Hermione observed.

"Hermione, I think Fawkes now owes its loyalty to Harry now… I mean, think about it. Who, of all people, would Dumbledore leave his most prized and trusted possession to? Harry!" Ron said.

"That would make sense," Hermione agreed. Harry stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Did you just agree with Ron?" he asked. Hermione gasped in shock.

"I think you did!" Ron grinned at Hermione, but didn't receive the same look from her. In fact, she stormed off, flustered, and Ron followed. Harry smiled at Ginny and put his arm around her. The two began to walk down a corridor, happy to be back on solid ground.

"So," Ginny began, "how's the life of the famous Harry Potter?" Ginny asked. Harry sighed.

"I've got no clue what I'm doing. I'm still short by 3 Horcruxes, and I've got no idea where the real locket or Nagini are. I can't fight someone like Snape, and I'm so easily thrown off a bus by someone like _Ernie_. And I'm not even sure how I'm going to be able to kill Voldemort when I finally have to! I don't think I have that much hatred for him!" Harry stared down at the ground as he walked and spoke. Ginny rest her head on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Harry. It'll all turn out in the end. You'll find a way to finish off Voldemort."

As Harry and Ginny rounded a corner, they saw Neville coming toward them. He was smirking.

"Harry! Ginny! Ron and Hermione are in the Common Room and they're…" Neville trailed off, unable to continue due to his laughter. It kind of looked like he was licking the air. "I can't believe it finally happened!"

Harry and Ginny laughed at Neville's news. "Neville, they've been together for a bit, they just don't have normal affectionate ways of showing it… usually, that is," Harry said. Ginny smirked, and then her face sprang to life.

"HARRY!" Ginny shrieked with pleasure. "This is it!" She grabbed his hand and began racing down hallways and corridors that Harry wasn't sure he recognized. He couldn't really tell where they were, since everything went by in a blur. When they finally slowed, they were in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Stringilius!" Ginny called out before prompted. The portrait swung forward and Ginny and Harry climbed through the hole to the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry looked around, but the room was empty. Immediately, Ginny flew up the stairs to the boys' dormitories. Harry followed her up the stairs and pulled on her shirt right as she was about to open the door to his dormitory that he shared with his male companions.

"What are you doing, Ginny! Stop for a second and tell me-"

"Listen. Hermione and Ron are doing Merlin-knows-what in that room. I'm going to barge in there and intrude on them, getting Ron back for what he did to me. Are you with me or not?" Ginny asked hurriedly and quietly. Harry thought about it for a few seconds, and then nodded his head in joy.

Harry watched as Ginny's outstretched hand reached for the door. Harry watched as Ginny turned the knob and threw the door open. Harry watched as Ginny strode into the dormitory. Harry watched as Ginny screamed and ran out of the room. Harry watched as Lavendar Brown ran from the room unclothed and screaming. Harry watched as Seamus chased after her, pulling on his shorts. Harry watched as Ron and Hermione came out of the girls' dormitory. Harry watched as Ginny turned red as a tomato.

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**Authors' Note:**

_Sean_: Well, we've done it. This is one of our shorter chapters, and it has taken us MONTHS to write it. Not because of this chapter's importance or anything. Actually, Nora and I are just crazy busy with schoolwork. And seeing as how we're in 3 of the same classes, we've planned several things, just haven't had the time to write them. Tonight was the night, as we had Monday off! I really hoped you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it, but we ARE getting back to the good adventure stuff soon! I'd say… expect something big to happen when no one is looking… But that's all I'll say on the matter. Oh, and there's something quite questionable in this chapter that might be the key to the end of the story. Good night and, well, just keep reading!

_Nora_:

Nora would like to add that Jewish holidays and GT homework do not exist in the world of Hogwarts... for good reason. But we did it! air hugs for all and GOOD NIGHT!

AND!

Welcome to Good Burger, Home of the Good burger, Can I take your order? D

R&R


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